Reference centre

Petra Skiebe
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The Freie Universität Berlin is a leading research institution and one of nine German universities that received funding as part of the federal and state Excellence Initiative. Within the University, the informal science laboratory NatLab of the Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy provides innovative science training for primary and secondary teachers. NatLab received three awards between 2005 and 2006 for integrating hands-on experiments and inquiry-based learning in pre- and post-service training of teachers. NatLab has good connections with the informal science laboratories of other universities, research institutions and science museums, with the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Science and Humanities, as well as with the Senate Department for Education in Berlin.

As a member of the Pollen project, the Freie Universität Berlin has implemented a program in Berlin to improve science education through inquiry-based science education. This program is based on teacher training and providing teaching material, which is in accordance with the Berlin school curriculum. In order to extend the program to additional schools and beyond Pollen, TuWaS! (Technik und Naturwissenschaften an Schulen, Technology and Science in Schools) was founded.

In 2006, 40 classes of seven different primary schools were part of Pollen. In 2007, Pollen was extended to 11 schools. 83 experimental kits were lent to these 11 Pollen schools, indicating that in at least 83 classes, inquiry-based science education was being implemented. In 2008, 12 new schools were involved. In these classes, IBSE is taught 4 hours per week.

Within Pollen und TuWaS!, a total number 124 teachers have been trained. These teachers were trained to teach up to four different topics, which include “Chemical Tests”, “Motion & Design”, “Electrical Circuits”, Microworlds”, and “Solids & Liquids”. These teacher trainings lasted a day from 9 am to 4 pm.

The Freie Universität Berlin trains pre-service teachers for primary and secondary schools. Our teacher trainings are known and approved by LISUM, the official post-service training institute of Berlin. FUB also has good contacts with the Berlin Senate Department of Education which helped to extend Pollen to the TuWaS! schools.