New Perspectives in Science Education

The education in various science disciplines like chemistry and physics has been for a long time disregarded as not feasible in primary or early middle school grades. In reverse, it is commonly accepted that hands-on experiences in those age groups often last a life-time such as crafting, arts, sports or music. Since 2010, at the University of Teacher Education Vienna (“pädagogische Hochschule PH Wien”), a concept was created to initiate pupil’s motivation to develop interests in science and technology, bearing the name “Science Garage”. The aim is not only to start this particular interest but to design it so enriching that it lasts for several years, most desirably for the following individual school careers, including any tertiary education. Several hands-on experiments were developed based on experiences first made by some primary schools in Vienna’s 20^th district, additional experiments were reviewed in numerous EU & US-institutions such as [1,2,3], partly due to the author’s exchange academic year as science teacher overseas [4]. Emphasis was laid on selected science chapters, new topics are being added each term and at present some included fields are thermodynamics, fluids and gas properties; chemical compounds and reactions; electrical circuits ; and magnetism. All those activities are translated for primary school pupils in terms and illustrations appropriate for their age such as “Nemo must Survive”, “Fly your Yard Rocket !” or “Steer your Submarine”. A Fact Book is being printed for the use of accompanying teachers at various levels (students, new and experienced teachers, instructors, supervisors) to achieve more insight in scientific explanations intensely using discussion forums. The increasing heterogeneity issue developed in urban Vienna schools over the past more than two decades has to be taken into account resulting in different approaches by pupils to science topics in terms of language and literacy [5,6,7]. Our newest topic being incorporated into the intensely visited Science Garage is the field of Robotics in collaboration with the Austrian Society for Computing. Based on serious interest in Asia science education such as [8,9,10] , in late Oct. 2012 the concept of the Science Garage was presented to the National University of Education (NPUE) in Pingtung, Taiwan, Science Department, aiming to create mutual cooperation made initially possible by assistance of Asian Chemical Education Network. Upon the enthusiastic reaction to this concept, it was commonly agreed to develop together further Science Garage topics, and to present them as well as discuss their implementation and outcomes at the 5^th NICE (Network for Inter-Asian Chemistry Educators) conference in Taiwan in July 2013 [11]. It generated on both sides some intention to deepen relations in the field of primary science education not limited to core science & technology topics, but also considering heterogeneity, language and literacy issues as well.