A Companion to Research in Teacher Education

56.2 Collaborative Co-creation of Inquiry-Based Science

Education and Assessment (IBSEA) Resources

Taking into consideration the diverse experiences of teacher cohorts across the
twelve European countries participating in SAILS, i.e. their range of experiences in
inquiry and its assessment and cultural differences in implementation, it was
deemed necessary by the project team that exemplary materials for appropriate
types of assessment for use in the science (Physics, Chemistry and Biology)
classrooms at both lower and upper second level needed to be developed.
Therefore, a range of Inquiry and Assessment units—SAILS Units—were devel-
oped by the project team, which provided sufficientflexibility so as to be usable by
all the project team, to support teachers in adopting both inquiry and assessment.
The process adopted for the development of the SAILS Units is outlined in
Fig.56.1and is discussed below.
As shown in Fig.56.1, initially three pilot units were developed which presented
an inquiry approach to teaching the topic and identified assessment opportunities
within the unit. These opportunities were based on who assessed, when assessment
was possible and ideas of how evidence of the assessment could be obtained (see
Table56.1). The pilot units were then distributed to all countries where each
country trialled the material with groups of expert inquiry teachers. Following
piloting, improvements were made to ensure that the material was applicable in
different countries.
On the basis of discussion and dialogue between the project team and their
expert groups in each country, thirtyfive further units (Draft Units) were suggested
by the project team. However, nineteen of these draft units were selected for further
development in terms of inquiry and its assessment. The units were selected based
on having a diverse range of topics which covered the disciplines of science, the
range of second-level education, relevance to curricula as well as the range of
inquiry skills and different modes of assessment.
Each country led on the development of one or two units and coordinated the
trialling of each of these units in at least three other countries. Thereby eachfinal
SAILS unit was informed by the project team and teachers from at least 4 different

Three

pilot

units

Reviewed by

partners and

teachers

Input from expert

groups of teachers

and educators

Reviewed by project team

Trialled by expert teachers

in 4 partner countries

Unit

Template

Draft

Units

SAILS

Units

Case

Studies

(CS)

Fig. 56.1 Process adopted for the development of SAILS Inquiry and Assessment Units

828 O.E. Finlayson and E. McLoughlin