what is inside Insights?
- Implementation Stories of citizen science projects in schools (or "implementation stories" for short). An implementation story is a description of a specific aspect of an experience in a citizen science project from which insights emerged that may help others in implementation. For example, a description of how collaboration between a school in Nahariya and scientists in the jellyfish project led to school-wide change. This story may help other teaching teams examine their goals in the context of partnership with scientists. Implementation stories can be written by different community members, thus including diverse perspectives on the experience — for instance, as experienced by students, parents, teachers, principals, education policymakers, education researchers, and scientists. Implementation stories offer a unique way to present and expose interested parties to the innovation, adventurousness, and added value of the unique implementation of citizen science. Each story in Insights is linked to one or more implementation principles.
- Implementation Principles of citizen science in schools (or "implementation principles" for short). An implementation principle derives from an insight that emerges from several implementation stories sharing a common challenge. For example, the challenge of how to support students in pausing for a moment to examine what they understand and what they still do not understand (encouraging reflection). The insight arising from several implementation stories linked to this principle can guide other activities. On the other hand, pooling insights from multiple stories can serve as a basis for research. In this way, implementation principles serve as a meeting point between the field and research — between practice and theory.
- Pedagogical Meta-Principles (or "meta-principles" for short). Implementation principles in Insights that share a common affinity are linked to a meta-principle that unifies them. For example, the implementation principle of encouraging reflection is linked to a meta-principle that groups implementation principles guiding how one can support the cultivation of independent learning (metacognition). In this way, meta-principles are linked to several implementation principles and, additionally, expand the theoretical background regarding the relevant learning processes.