ESIA applies a bottom-up approach, starting with the practitioners, building upon the best practices and intrinsic knowledge of the teaching and teacher training profession. After the many attempts of the past years to change education policy top-down, it is time to trust the teachers and follow their lead!

In this context, the consolidation of “good practice” looks for a bottom-up approach to setting the grassroots for better and more innovative school education in schools and, at the same time, to determine an effective approach to professional development and in-service teacher training by analysing the courses currently offered in this regard (e.g. many informal, not officially recognised courses are published in School Education Gateway, and similar online course catalogues).

This way, ESIA will support European policy-making, by proposing measures based on practitioner-led bottom-up activities and innovation that can be translated into more effective top-down policy planning and implementation, meeting the challenges for emerging paradigms concerning inquiry based science education, student- and project-based learning, the use of new technologies in classrooms, access to learning (the once “infrastructure-equipment” mandate), the creation and sharing of knowledge (the once “learning materials” availability) and the building of competences (the teachers professional development quest).