The IAP: global network of science academies has made a declaration on science in education and called for a wider take up of 'inquiry-based' science education.
The IAP, which is made of up of more than 100 member academies including the Australian Academy of Science, made the declaration at its biennial Science Education Programme conference held in Beijing last month.
Inquiry-based education focuses on student inquiry as the driving force for learning. It encourages critical thinking and uses evidence-based reasoning for drawing conclusions.
The IAP Beijing Declaration on Science Education and Science Literacy also recommends greater input from industry on developing science education. It calls on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to include inquiry-based learning in its next world education forum and in its post-2015 development agenda.
The Australian Academy of Science has long had science education programs which are inquiry-based, including its primary school program Primary Connections and its high school science program Science by Doing.
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