It is known that using purely theoretical (teacher-centred) approaches lead to poor learning outcomes when teaching natural sciences in schools (compared to constructivist approaches; e.g. Schnotz, 2011). Active learning, through first-hand experiences, is seen as more effective (see for example the use of living organisms in biology class; Randler, 2023). First-hand experiences are made possible by bringing the object to be learned about into the classroom (or by having the class visit the real-world object). That which is perceived as important for student learning should also be considered in teacher education. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to achieve such first-hand experiences in teacher education contexts, because one cannot bring a live lesson being given to a set of classroom students into a teacher-education course room.

The members of the TeLeMaT IBL project are actively working on the development of digital media, including 360° videos, VR, AR, animations and interactive videos. Additionally, they are preparing tangible items such as interviews with teachers and experiment reports (as depicted in Fig. 1). These efforts aim to heighten the authenticity within course rooms, facilitating teachers’ immersion in inquiry-based learning (IBL) and enhancing the overall realism of teacher education.

VR and simulation games have long been used in professional training contexts in other branches and areas. For example, VR is used to train teachers in classroom management (see Wiepke et al., 2019), paramedics (see Fig. 2), welders (see Fig. 3), and nursing staff.

Figure 1: Extract from a student’s experiment report (anonymised and with modified handwriting).

The TeLeMaT IBL project is founded on international cooperation. Thanks to participation by members from several EU countries, the project holds the promise of obtaining an internationally applicable outcome. The project partners comprise representatives of schools, research institutions and higher education institutions from Austria, Cyprus, Estonia and Germany.

The project duration is three years: 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2026.

The outcomes foreseen for the project are:

(1) Development of teaching and learning materials for teacher education on IBL (in natural-science subjects). Five modules that were developed in a previous project (see www.differentiatinq.eu), namely (I) IBL in general; (II) experimentation; (III) differentiation and scaffolding; (IV) diagnosis; (V) differentiation tool, will be used and adapted in the context of the TeLeMaT IBL project.

(2) Integration of the material in two Moodle courses: one for preliminary teacher education (studies, traineeship) and one for further teacher education.

(3) Writing of a guidelines e-book: description of the teaching and learning materials and of the experience gathered in the production of the materials to share these experiences with those interested.

(4) Setting-up of digital self-paced courses for IBL teaching (tutorials including the Moodle courses and the material developed).

All the outcomes will be made available as open resources.

To achieve its objectives, the project content is organised in five work packages. Each work package is composed in turn of various activities (see the logical framework in Fig. 4).

Work Package 1: This work package includes all the fundamental project management tasks.

Work Package 2: In this work package, a questionnaire will be developed that will then be administered to pre-service and in-service teachers. The questionnaire investigates the content design, formal design and construction of teaching and learning material for teacher education in the field of IBL. The results of the questionnaire will be combined with findings from the literature to form two lists of quality criteria (one for pre-service and one for in-service teachers). The quality-criteria lists will form the basis of the design of the teaching and learning materials and Moodle courses to be developed. The lists will also inform the project evaluation, which will be carried out by both project-internal and -external parties. The external evaluation will be performed by critical friends: Dr. Eberhard Hummel (Seminar für Ausbildung und Fortbildung der Lehrkräfte, Ludwigsburg, Germany), Andreas Marquarth (Seminar für Ausbildung und Fortbildung der Lehrkräfte, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany) and Prof. Dr. Markus Emden (Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich, Switzerland). Work package 2 also includes the development of the teaching and learning materials and the integration of these in the Moodle courses.

Work Package 3: The task of work package 3 is to create an e-book of guidelines describing the teaching and learning materials and the experience gathered in the media production process.

Work Package 4: In work package 4, self-paced tutorials will be developed (one for pre-service teachers and another for in-service teachers) which will also include the previously developed teaching and learning materials.

Work Package 5: Publication and multiplication activities are foreseen in the final work package.

Figure 4: Logical framework.