Stimulating the interest of young people in science and technology training is a constant aim of Europe’s Lisbon Strategy. Earlier this month, and expert group led by MEP Michel Rocard presented a report to European Commissioners Figel and Potocnik, of Education and Research respectively, identifying science-teaching pedagogy as an important first step in generating interest for science professions.

Essentially, the expert group advocates a mainly deductive/ inquiry based learning method, or ‘learning by doing’. This method is thought to stimulate students’ creative capacity, imagination, reasoning, and observation, and ultimately generate more interest in the sciences amongst school children. Calling for European level guidance, the report envisages more pro-active national programmes that would transfer such methodology to the classroom.