Powerful methods for scaling-up
and transferring pilot implementations and
for evolving the public’s conceptions of
learning and schooling are essential to take
full advantage of the opportunities ICTs
pose. This work describes what may be its
key contribution to the evolution of schools
innovation and improvement: a new
approach to stimulating, incubating, and
accelerating innovation, which is strongly
driven by users’ needs. The aim of this work
is a) to capture what we know so far about
the process of encouraging schools to
become more innovative b) to describe the
Discovery Space Innovation Model which is
built upon these understandings and c) to
describe the practical programme of work
which utilizes this model. Taking advantage
from the current reform efforts in science
and mathematics education in many
European countries and the implementation
of some major re-schooling initiatives, our
aim is to develop an innovative science and
mathematics learning environment, which
integrates modern technologies with the aim
to create an open technology-enhanced
classroom that builds on the strengths of
formal and informal teaching and learning
strategies in ways that can support learning
of all individual students. This environment
is embedded with interactive learning
artifacts and assessment tools. 100 such
classrooms have been set in operation in the
most innovative schools in Europe. If we
want a powerful innovative culture in
schools which is self-sustaining we have to
empower system-aware practitioners,
working ever more closely with the service
users, to create it. And to avoid simply
creating interesting but isolated experiments,
we have to design in collaborative ways of
learning and enquiry between professionals
– a “pull” rather than “push” approach