Project mission

The growing importance of science in our daily life requires a population to have sufficient knowledge and insight to keep up with the scientific debate. Science and its thinking process poses inherent advantages to the cognitive development of young persons and it is important when cognitive skills are developed. This aspect of science literacy is important in the STIPPS project. With this project we will emphasize on the cognitive development of scientific thinking in (pre) primary school education and teacher training. With the project we want to make sciences and its cognitive thinking models more appealing and so raising enthusiasm for science. This will make it necessary for us to question and rethink the approach when teaching sciences. Interest arousing aspects of science (work on curiosity), topical aspects (focus on local sensitivities and the actuality), and skills (focus on what the pupils can do instead of what they should know) play an essential role. Only seldom do these aspects lead to integration in practice. In our approach we will stimulate science literacy by offering and disseminate a learning line (based upon a chosen global model) for scientific thinking and good practises in (pre) primary schools. We want to contribute to a democracy that possesses a certain level of science literacy as an increasing number of decisions is dependent upon Science developments that are of fundamental importance for Europe's growth and development.