Learning by doing – La main à la pâte

October 23-27, Souillac-Rocamadour-Toulouse, France

The list of participants from China and France is given in appendix.

The first day, Mrs Wei Yu was congratulated for having received, the previous week, the international Prize Purkwa for science education, given in Saint-Etienne at the Ecole des Mines.

The Seminar was organized in 2006, as foreseen in the Agreement between Académie des sciences, France & Direction des relations internationales, Ministère de l’éducation nationale, de la recherche et de l’enseignement supérieur, France & Department of international affairs, Ministry of education, China & National Center for Science and Technology Education, a Center jointly sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Science, the Ministry of education of China, the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST). This Agreement was signed for 3 years on 2005.

The organization of the Seminar was superb, thanks to the efforts of the Recteur de Toulouse and of Mrs. Mireille Golazewzki, Inspectrice générale, to both of whom, the participants express their deep gratitude.

The Seminar program concerned essentially :

An analysis of a draft version of the Chinese content standard for science education based on investigation. On this document, the French party have appreciated the high quality and complete coverage of the document and suggested a few improvements ;
The description of teaching cases for 5-7 year-old children in China and France. Both sides presented their realisations. Chinese teachers expressed their interest in the French cases, and reciprocally ;
The new subject of teaching disabled pupils with a science content ; both sides were presented an experimental program from Toulouse and unterstood the importance of IBSE for such difficult situations ;
The issue of second language (english) learning with science content. Both sides highly appreciated the new approach proposed by some French participants ;
The international evaluation plans (IAP) of Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE) were presented ;
The recent introduction of La main à la pâte in middle school in France by the French Académie des sciences was presented and briefly discussed.

These exchanges gave an opportunity to measure the remarkable results and progress of the bilateral cooperation, established since 2001, and the will of the two parties to continue this cooperation. A more detailed report of the five years (2001-2006) of joint actions will be made available before the end of 2006.

Both sides are more and more convinced of the importance of IBSE for the full intellectual and moral development of children ; they are decided to continue their effort in this direction, and consider an increasing support from authorities and general public as highly needed.

The following items were jointly agreed :

To develop a trilateral cooperation between Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and French Académie des Sciences ;
To adress the question of science teaching to minorities populations, and that of cross-cultural education ;
To set common research project(s), involving PhD students ;
To organize a training session by two French specialists, at the invitation of the Shaanxi Provincial Education Bureau, in Xian in the spring of 2007 ;
To promote South East Asian countries collaboration (for example, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand) for IBSE development ;
To hold the next Seminar in China, mid-October 2007, in Yunnan province. It is suggested that CAST organizes this Seminar, with around ten French participants.

Signed in Toulouse, on October 27, 2006

APPENDIX

Chinese participants :

NAME

POSITION

Mrs WEI Yu

Ex Vice-Minister of Education, Vice-President of the China Association for Science and Technology, Vice-Director of the Committee for Education, Science, Culture, Health and Sport in Chinese People Political Consultancy Conference (CPPCC, similar to Parliament in west), Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur.

Mr LIU Fengsong

Vice Director, General Office of the Academic Divisions，Chinese Academy of Sciences

Mr WANG Ke

General Director， Science Popularization Department of China Association for Science and Technology

Mr LV Mingkai

Deputy Director General of Shaanxi Education Department

Mrs ZHU Li

Teacher, Dalian Experimental Kindergarten

Mrs LIU Tianqi

Teacher, Experimental Kindergarten of Beijing Normal University

Mrs WU Lan

Teacher, Vice Principal，Kindergarten of Southeast University

Mrs XU Zemin

Teacher, Shanghai Nanxi Kindergarten

Mrs ZHENG Jiyan

Program Assistant, Shantou University Medical College, “Learning By Doing” Centre, The Li Ka Shing Foundation.

Mr LUO Xiaoliang

Teacher, French interpreter,Thinktank: Handsbrain Education, Jiangsu

Embassy of the PR of China in France :

Mr BAI Zhangde

Minister Counsellor – Embassy of the PR of China in France

Mrs CHENG Ting

3^rd Secretary - Embassy of the PR of China in France

French participants :

NAME	POSITION
BEL LASSEN Joël	General Inspector (Chinese) –Ministry of education.
BONNEFOND Pierre	Trainer (activities for disabled children) – National Space Centre.
FOURNET Olivier	Director of the Jean-Lagarde centre (secondary school for disabled pupils).
GOLASZEWSKI Mireille	General Inspector (English) – Ministry of education.
LENA Pierre	Member of the French Academy of sciences Education secretary of the Academy of sciences
LENA-SANG Shaohua	Interpreter
MATRICON Jean	University Professor of physics (retired).
MERLE Hélène	Trainer – Normal school (IUFM) of Montpellier.
PAJON Alexandre	Director for international cooperation (DARIC) - Toulouse
PLE Elisabeth	Trainer - Normal school (IUFM) of Troyes.
QUERE Yves	Member of the French Academy of sciences
SALTIEL Edith	Member of La main à la pâte
SARMANT Jean-Pierre	Retired General Inspector – Ministry of education.
STALLAERTS Maryvonne	Trainer - Normal school (IUFM) of Rennes.
VILLARD Evelyne	Trainer – Pedagogical adviser – Mâcon.

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