Module 2:
Upon completion of this module, participants will be able to:
• describe the purpose, philosophy, and historical development of the PISA cycles
• explain what PISA assesses and what it does not assess, with an emphasis on the shift from testing school-based knowledge to evaluating the ability to apply knowledge and skills in a variety of real-world contexts
• describe the key features of the PISA test structure, such as topics, introductory texts, question types, the format of the digital test, and how adaptive testing works.
• interpret key methodological parameters of PISA, such as the target population, sampling, the role of questionnaires, performance scales and proficiency levels, as well as the scope of international participation in PISA 2025.
Module 3:
Upon completion of this module, participants will be able to:
• define scientific literacy as defined by PISA 2025.
• describe the key dimensions of scientific literacy in PISA, such as knowledge, skills, attitudes, and contexts.
• distinguish between the concepts of competence and skill, in accordance with the PISA framework
• relate the evolution of the definition of scientific literacy to changes in perceptions of the role of the scientifically and technologically literate citizen in modern society.
Module 4:
Upon completion of this module, participants will be able to:
• describe the thematic/question frameworks used by PISA (personal, local-national, and global) and explain the rationale behind the framework used for specific PISA-type questions.
• identify and explain the scientific competence assessed by a PISA-type question
• describe the three types of knowledge in PISA (content knowledge, procedural knowledge, and scientific/epistemological knowledge) and explain the type of knowledge required by different questions.
• design questions that utilize different contexts, assess selected scientific competencies, and require different types of knowledge to be answered.
• explain the importance of the environmental dimension and action in the Anthropocene, describing the environmental competencies assessed by PISA and their connection to scientific literacy.
• relate attitudes, scientific identity, and source evaluation to the concept of scientific identity within the PISA framework.
• recognize the relationship between attitudes toward science, scientific identity, and source evaluation, and explain how these factors influence the evidence-based interpretation of information and decision-making on scientific and social science issues
• apply the basic principles of coding and scoring responses.
Module 5:
Upon completion of this module, participants will be able to:
• describe the trends in Greek students’ performance on the PISA over time and compare key aspects of that performance with the performance of other countries.
• identify and analyze key weaknesses in teaching and assessment in the natural sciences, based on performance data and questionnaire responses, such as:
a) traditional teaching methods,
b) an emphasis on assessing declarative knowledge and solving problems that typically require knowledge of standardized methodology,
c) “recipe-style” laboratory work,
d) a lack of scientific knowledge.
e) questions that typically do not require students to utilize information from representations or from a combination of sources.
• identify disparities in student performance through performance data and questionnaire responses, such as:
a) The “performance gap.”
b) Performance differences based on socioeconomic status, gender, and immigrant background.
• link the difficulties in transitioning to more innovative forms of teaching to the centripetal forces present in our educational system and to problems with professional development.
Module 6:
Upon completion of this module, participants will be able to:
• translate key PISA findings into priorities for science education, with an emphasis on:
a) inquiry-based teaching and learning,
b) the interpretation of data from authentic contexts,
c) scientific methodology skills, and
d) scientific/epistemological knowledge.
• design activities that utilize authentic data and representations, such as tables and graphs, to enhance students’ scientific literacy.
• incorporate PISA-style topics into their teaching, integrating appropriate instructional scaffolding to support students with varying levels of readiness.
• adjust the difficulty of a question or activity to accommodate different levels of difficulty.
• design or redesign a one-class-period lesson, utilizing PISA topic repositories and educational materials, as well as sample lesson plans.
Module 7:
Upon completion of this module, participants will be able to:
• relate key principles of the PISA framework to elements of the New Curricula.
• evaluate 2–3 lesson plans in terms of their relevance to the PISA framework
• design a short-term intervention or action research project to investigate difficulties and strengthen students’ interpretation and argumentation skills.
• incorporate elements of the PISA framework into Collaborative Planning activities and forms of collaborative professional learning at school.
Module 8:
Upon completion of this unit, participants will be able to:
• responsibly communicate PISA results, recognizing what the study measures and what it does not, and translating key findings into evidence-based educational priorities, rather than focusing narrowly on the country’s position in the overall rankings.
• explain the importance of developing scientific literacy in modern societies, linking it to the needs of evidence-based decision-making and responsible engagement in social and scientific issues.