AMSTEL

Amsterdam Mathematics Science Technology Education Laboratory



AMSTEL - Amsterdam Mathematics Science Technology Education Laboratory
University of Amsterdam
http://www.science.uva.nl/amstelinstituut/english.cfm
Phone: + 31 2052 55963
Antonius Ellermeijer, e-mail: ellermei .at. science.uva.nl
Ewa Mioduszewska, e-mail: miodus .at. science.uva.nl


AMSTEL Institute is the research and development institute of the Faculty of Science of the University of Amsterdam for Science, Technology and Mathematics Education. It has 45 staff members, 23 of which are involved in ICT-ODL and educational multimedia, 300 teacher training students and teachers and 80 students.
The AMSTEL Institute has a strong research and development program in the field of educational ICT applications. The staff of approximately 45 people forms a unique multi-disciplinary team of hard- and software experts, educational specialists, teacher trainers and researchers. The projects currently undertaken reflect the wide range of the expertise: from elementary school to university level, from Mathematics (computer algebra, graph theory, logic), Chemistry (micro scale laboratory) to Technology (Control Technology). The research programme embraces various aspects of science education both at secondary schools and at universities. At present, PhD research in the field of Didactics proceeds within Faculty of Science.
The AMSTEL Institute is located in a new facility in the Scientific and Technology Center Watergraafsmeer in Amsterdam, a high-tech environment with e.g. facilities for High Performance Computing and Virtual Reality.
In its role as National Expert Centre from the Ministry of Education, the AMSTEL institute - often in co-operation with other Dutch institutions - is active in research, development and marketing of teaching materials, hardware and software for education in the area of measurement and control with the computer in the science subjects and technology. Internationally the work of AMSTEL Institute is widely recognised. The educational software developed by the AMSTEL Institute, Coach, has been translated in many languages and is applied in a growing number of countries world-wide. Long-term partnerships have been established with leading companies in (educational) technologies: Texas Instruments, Lego Dacta and IBM. In recent years the learning environment Coach received two international awards: the WorldDidac Award (1998) and the EASA Award (2002).
Ton Ellermeijer, Scientific Director of AMSTEL Institute, directed many national and European projects in Science Education, most of them with high ICT content. Dr Ellermeijer was the European coordinator of the EC-FIPSE project Scientific and Cultural Aspects of the Bicycle. AMSTEL Institute also participated in E&H Environment and Health (Socrates, Comenius 3.1) and TEMPUS projects with Macedonia and Slovakia.
At this moment AMSTEL participates in ePhys - Towards an effective use of ICT for Open Learning in the Teaching of Physics in Europe (Minerva project).
Dr Ellermeijer is a recipient of the Minnaert Award (1999), the award of the Dutch Physics Education Association awarded to people with special service to Physics Teaching.
Selected publications:
    Goedhart, M.J. (1999) The Use of Van Hiele Levels as a Tool in the Development of Curricula for Science Education In: Bandiera, M., Caravita, S., Toracca, E., and Vincentini, M. (eds.), Research in Science Education in Europe: Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, p. 65-72
    Goedhart, M.J., H. van Keulen, T.M. Mulder, A.H. Verdonk and W. de Vos (1998) Teaching Distillation Knowledge. A Video Film Bridging a Gap between Theory and Practice, Journal of Chemical Education 75, 378-381.
    Mulder, C.H.T. (1997). Modelling and Data-logging in investigations. In: S.Olak e.o. (ed.). New ways of teaching physics, proceedings of GIREP conference 1996, pp. 307-311, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
    Mulder, C.H.T. (1999). The use of computers in pupil defined investigations. In: Born, G., H. Harreis, H. Lischke, N. Treitz, Proceedings: Hands on Experiments in Physics Education, ICPE-GIREP International conference, August 23-28, 1998, Duisburg, Germany. On CD-ROM: ISBN 3-00-00410-8, in print 3-00-00409-4.