Caractéristiques d’un enseignement des sciences fondé sur l’investigation et évaluation de dispositifs d’accompagnement des enseignants

In order to develop an investigation-based science education in the french primary schools, the La main a la pâte group of the french Academy of science created - in 2000 - a network of "pilot- centres ". Such centres are run by teams that - in their city, district or department - have developed original and innovative programs to support this renovation of the science teaching methods. In 2007, La main a la pâte got interested in assessing the impact of these various programs on the classroom science practices. For this purpose, observations of science sessions were conducted in classes related to the different pilot-centres, in other words classes receiving different kinds of support. The observation grid then used will be presented as well as its grouping of items into broad categories. Each category corresponds to a component of the recommended approach. Category results will be given for all classes observed in the pilot centres, which provides information both on the impact of each pilot centre program and on the efficiency of the different kinds of support.