In August 2005 the IPN started a new service project for primary schools in Schleswig-Holstein (the northernmost federal state of Germany): Primary schools may order the so called »Research Express« free of charge to conduct hands-on experiments with their 4th-grade pupils.
The Research Express staff provides the material needed for an entire school class to conduct experiments and will carry it to the inviting school. Not only will pupils be equipped with laboratory coats and protectory glasses, they will also receive an experimentation kit each. This set of material consists of things you may buy in supermarkets or DIY superstores. The aim is to use only materials which are easily accessible for everybody.
Under the guidance of the Research Express staff, pupils will conduct experiments regarding air pressure, fire, oxygene, and combustion products. Thus they are confronted with basic scientific working methods and a scientific way of thinking.
After three lessons of »researching«, pupils will receive a certificate and their teachers two experimentation kits and two booklets which sum up the experiments, give ideas for continuation and offer a concise but sound chemical and physical background.
The purpose of this project is to encourage and enable primary school teachers to emphasize chemistry and physics more strongly in their teaching - and to invite and convince other teachers to do so as well. Therefor, a series of further training courses for teachers, also free of charge, is connected with the project.
The project is coordinated at the IPN (Department of Didactics in Chemistry) and was sponsored by the Innovation Foundation of the State of Schleswig-Holstein (ISH) and the Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel.
More information you will find here.
For further questions please write us an e-mail.
