EU action in developments in the curricula and teaching methods appropriate for the future global technical challenges

In keeping with the IEEE conference theme `Developments in the curricula and teaching methods appropriate for the future global technical challenges´ the purpose of our presentation is to show how we are promoting new development in the curricula and bringing new ideas into action. This paper sets out the context for the EU Seventh Framework `Pathway to Inquiry Based Science and Maths Education´ (IBSE) project (2011-2013). It outlines the current situation with regard to Science at Junior Certificate level (13-15) in Ireland and highlights the recent developments with the establishment of a new Junior Cycle. Key findings from an online survey on the use of Virtual learning Environments (VLEs) to support IBSE will be presented. Finally, we will outline the workshops that took place in Ireland and Greece, as part of the Pathway project, and the incorporation of digital technologies into the Inquiry process especially the use of computational models to support teaching and learning.