One of the goals of the recently completed EU project, Mind the Gap , was a comparative look at Scientific Literacy statements from three partner countries, Denmark, England/Wales and Hungary. This article takes a look at the cultural and contextual influences on each of these national maps and then adds a map and context for Germany, before comparing the maps for useful teaching and learning perspectives.
As leaders of this part of the Mind the Gap project, the University of Copenhagen made weighted concept maps of each national statement in order to make understanding and comparisons between them more accessible. With-in country maps can be useful overviews for pre-and in-service teachers as they plan lessons and methods for helping their students achieve national goals. Between country comparisons can provide ideas and stimulation to both teachers and policymakers from other cultures about how various interpretations of Scientific Literacy may inform their own teaching and learning. The maps for Denmark, England/Wales and Hungary can be seen at: http://www1.ind.ku.dk/mtg/wp3/scientificliteracy/maps/2
Interpretations of these maps improve with an understanding of the cultural and contextual influences on each nation’s literacy goals.