The Idea of Scientific Conferences as Educational Simulations Anatolia College, Thessaloniki.

The Idea of Scientific The Idea of Scientific Conferences as Educational Conferences as Educational

SimulationsSimulations

Anatolia College, Thessaloniki


Introduction

An additional innovation is that students become involved with the various stages and procedures of a conference, since they are asked to assume the roles of conference presenters, organizers, participants, and reviewers.

This proposal involves a reform effort within the framework of an educational simulation that extends a formal education setting.

The idea is to allow students to have the chance to view learning as a whole game.

This is achieved by getting students to become actively involved in an educational simulation of a scientific conference and becoming familiar with the methods of scientific inquiry and scientific paper authoring.





Overview• The logic and ideas behind getting high school students

involved with the simulation of a scientific conference• The goals and procedures of the ACSTAC conference and the

way students became engaged with its procedures by assuming a variety of roles within the educational simulation

• Particular aspects of the reviewing procedure which students were asked to undertake in collaboration with university students and teachers

• The various committees that the students and their teachers participated in

• The online scaffolding environment which was used to support students during their research.


What is the underlying logic and ideas behind getting students involved with simulations of scientific

conferences?


Harvard Graduates Explain Seasonshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0wk4qG2mIg


• Michel Rocard et.al, former French Prime Minister, who in 2007 together with EU Commissioner for science and research, Janez Potocnik initiated a European project with the goal of increasing young people's interest in science and mathematics.

• David Perkins, an internationally recognized authority on matters of teaching and learning and Director of the Harvard University Project Zero program.

The ideas behind ACSTAC are based on the views of:


• In recent years, many studies have highlighted an alarming decline in young people’s interest for key science studies and mathematics.

• Despite the numerous projects and actions that are being implemented to reverse this trend, the signs of improvement are still modest.

Report: A Renewed Pedagogy for the Future of Europe High Level Group on Science Education:

Michel Rocard, Peter Csermely, Doris Jorde, Dieter Lenzen, Harriet Walberg-Henriksson, Valerie Hemmo

Studies show that students are not interested in key science studies

and mathematics


• We need to radically revise the way that science is taught in our schools.

• A reversal of school science-teaching pedagogy from mainly deductive to inquiry-based methods provides the means to increase interest in science.

• Increased opportunities for cooperation between actors in the formal and informal arenas.

According to the Rocard report:


Traditional Schooling vs. the Whole Learning Approach

Perkins, 2009:

“Traditional schooling approaches all learning, from kindergarten to higher education, by way of providing elements to students. In other words learning is not approached with a view of learning as a whole game, and elements don’t make much sense in the absence of the whole game. Unfortunately the whole game does not show up until much later if at all.”


Traditional Schooling vs. the Whole Learning Approach

Perkins, 2009:

•“Students get a sense of the whole game when we allow them to get engaged in junior versions.”

•“This offers learners the chance to develop the largely tacit knowledge involved in active engagement.”


ACSTAC was based on this idea

• We allowed students to get a sense of the whole game with regard to what it means to carry out research and prepare a scientific paper for a scientific conference.

• We also allowed them to experience different roles: presenter, organizer, reviewer.


• Students had the opportunity to participate in a research-based process and to present their work.

• Through this process students observed and applied the approaches and methods that researchers adopt in order to contribute knowledge to their particular field.

• This process allowed them to become engaged in a junior version of an actual conference.

Through their involvement in ACSTAC:


• Build student knowledge and increase curiosity while supporting students to gain an awareness of the research-based procedure

• Enhance student interest and motivation in the sciences, giving students the opportunity to acquire research-based skills

• Offer them a scenario in which to experience the expectations, satisfaction and incentives of a researcher

• Provide the conditions that will allow them to sense the satisfaction and enjoyment that result from creativity, achievement and learning.

The goals that ACSTAC aims to meet:


• Our educational simulation offers students opportunities to become involved with the various stages and procedures of a conference, since they are asked to assume the roles of:– conference presenters, – organizers, – participants, – reviewers.

The Procedure


Students who choose to be presenters must select a topic of interest from one of the 5 fields:• Biology – Medicine• Mathematics• Physics• Chemistry• Information Systems – Computer Science

The Procedure


• After deciding on a topic associated with one of the above fields, students carry out research, prepare an abstract (up to 300 words), and submit their abstract as a conference proposal.

• The paper can be a product individual or collective work (group work).

• The proposed paper can be: theoretical, empirical, a review paper or a description of an experiment, a construction or a project.

The Procedure


• Upon approval of their abstract, students write their scientific paper and submit their full paper proposal.

• It had been announced that a maximum of 10 papers for each of the above categories would be presented during 3 parallel sessions.

• The remaining papers were to be presented during the poster session.

• Students who wanted to be reviewers had to submit a CV to the organizers of the conference and select the particular field for which they wanted to be reviewers.

The Procedure


• The reviewing of the papers was carried out by:– 2 teachers– 2 students– 1 alumnus

• This multiple blind-review process according to stringent Evaluation Standards/Criteria aims to ensure a high standard of quality and merit.

The Reviewing Procedure


Submitted papers were evaluated on the basis of the following:•Clarity of presentation•Originality of presentation•Adequacy of references•Appeal of content•Evidence of a scientific approach to presenting the topic•Innovative approach/thinking or new ideas•Suitable use of language

The Evaluation Criteria


Students and their teachers participate in various committees of the conference and assume different roles. These are:

•The Steering Committee•The Organizing Committee•The Scientific Committee•The Reviewing Committees

Committees and Roles


• ACSTAC is supported by a web-based environment called OLSERP that provides scaffolding for learning how to conduct research and how to write different types of papers (e.g. pure research papers or review papers).

• This on line scaffolding provides a pedagogical tool to assist students as they learn how to carry out research and organize their expository writing.

OLSERP (On Line Scaffolding

Environment for Research and Paper Writing)



• ACSTAC had been approved by the Ministry of Education, UNESCO and the IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) Board.

• After having submitted their papers, 600 students from 32 schools participated in ACSTAC.

• The student conference sessions were accompanied by talks given by distinguished scientists, a series of scientific workshops, a poster session, an interview and a debate.

1st ACSTACMarch 19-20, 2011



1st ACSTACEvaluation



PAPER AND POSTER PRESENTATIONS















How we aim to enrich ACSTAC:• Papers will be submitted in Greek or English• We aim to collaborate with schools from

other countries• We aim to create an Association of Schools

that could host ACSTAC so that the conference circulates. This will make it richer and will allow other schools to enrich it with new ideas.

2nd ACSTACMarch 9-11, 2012


http://www.acstac.gr



Conclusions

• The purpose and fundamental idea behind ACSTAC is the creation of an environment - in the framework of an educational simulation - that models a scientific conference giving students the opportunity to participate in a research-based process.


Conclusions

• This sort of simulated process provides an intellectually exciting and challenging learning experience and allows students to approach their learning as a whole game, an approach not typical in formal education.


Conclusions

• Within this process students are asked to assume a variety of roles such as those of paper and poster presenters, peer reviewers, organizers, and conference participants.


Conclusions• The aims of the conference are to:

– promote positive attitudes of students towards research,

– enhance student interest in the sciences, – give students the opportunity to acquire research-

based skills, – cultivate a scientific way of thinking, – foster discovery and exploratory learning and– provide students with multidimensional and rich

learning experiences.

The Idea of Scientific Conferences as Educational Simulations Anatolia College, Thessaloniki.

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