Tinkering EU: Building Science Capital for All

September 1st, 2017 - August 31st, 2020 | PROJECT

“Tinkering EU: Building Science Capital for All” aims to develop activities and resources that support a learner-centred culture, improve science education and develop 21st century skills - all of which are fundamental for active citizenship, employability, and social inclusion. To do this, it adopts ‘Tinkering’, an innovative pedagogy developed in the USA, which is used by museums, and has proven able to create a lifelong engagement with science for everyone. Tinkering works particularly well for people who argue that “they are not good at science” or are disaffected from any formal teaching and learning process. It can be a powerful tool to tackle disadvantage. The project integrates Tinkering into the school curriculum to develop the science capital of disadvantaged youth through the use of museums. It addresses students from 8 to 14 years old (primary and junior high schools).

Coordinator: National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci

Partners:
University of Cambridge – UK
NEMO Science Museum – The Netherlands
Science Gallery Dublin – Ireland
CosmoCaixa – Spain
Science Center Network – Austria
NOESIS – Greece

Project Website(s)

(no project website provided)

Project Products

Tinkering and Science Capital: Ideas and Perspective
Tinkering Europe
Bringing Tinkering to School - Ideas for Activities
Tinkering as an inclusive approach for building STEM identity and supporting students facing disadvantage or with low science capital: Considerations from a reflective practice experience with teachers

Team Members

MARIA XANTHOUDAKI, Project Manager, National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci, Italy

Funders

Funding Source: Other
Funding Program: Erasmus+ Programme of the EU

Tags

Access and Inclusion: Low Socioeconomic Status
Audience: Educators | Teachers | Elementary School Children (6-10) | Middle School Children (11-13)
Discipline: Education and learning science | Engineering | General STEM
Resource Type: Project Descriptions | Projects
Environment Type: Afterschool Programs | Making and Tinkering Programs | Museum and Science Center Programs | Professional Development and Workshops