Gender, Innovation and Mentoring in Science and Mathematics (GIMMS) was a
European Comenius teacher education project, a school-university partnership
across six European countries: Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark , Germany , Ireland and Spain between 2006 and 2009. GIMMS teacher educator s and researchers engaged with teachers across their professional lifespan, in a philosophical and critical co-inquiry into teaching, innovation and mentoring. It involved science and mathematics teachers in lower secondary education.
At the time the argument for a newer type of teaching in a knowledge society was being raised by commentators from the social, political and economic worlds. Results from international achievement tests, such as PISA 2000-2009, had raised questions about literacy and numeracy. Policymakers were concerned with the strategic economic importance of this slice of the curriculum . These concerns are addressed in the FOREWORD by the European Commissioner for Research and Innovation, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn and supported by Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education and Culture.
GIMMS as a research and development study explored the pedagogical, professional and political aspects of teaching and teacher continuing education. The cross-national team developed an evolving normative framework that regarded educational innovation and change as pedagogical and political text in the context of teacher continuing education and mentoring (Aronowitz and Giroux, 1991; Giroux, 1988, 2009; Giroux and Mc Laren,1986; Mc Laren 1991). The deliberative democratic mentoring platform, across a multiplicity of borders, was set within egalitarian theory (Lynch and Lodge, 2002). The development within classrooms and schools for public incubation spaces for innovative ideas and practices was realised as a deliberative discourse with a diversity of actors. These policy actors included teachers at all stages of their career, teacher educators and sometimes policymakers. GIMMS was as much about conceptual, cultural and contextual change as it was about pedagogical and political practices.
Overall the GIMMS approach was successful in generating co-ownership and innovative approaches to teaching and teacher education. Adopted democratic frameworks of mentoring were found to be successful. Part one positions the project within relevant literature. Part two presents the seven national case study reports from each of the six countries. Part three concludes with a cross-case analysis of findings and their policy implications.