Oslo Science Centre

Photo: Gorm Gaare

Oslo Science Centre at The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology is a popular science experience and learning centre for technology, natural sciences and mathematics. The science centre is an arena where visitors can experience, learn or renew their knowledge on their own terms. Oslo Science Centre is the country's oldest science centre, established in 1986. There are now 13 regional science centres in Norway with a total of over 1 million visitors annually.

Girl and a science center teacher look at a PC in a teaching room

Photo: Lars Opstad

Creation workshops Teknolab and Teknoteket

Our creation workshops, Teknolab and Teknoteket, play an important role in the museum's offerings for both school students and leisure visitors. The creation workshops allow us to offer practical and engaging teaching and activities. These workshops give the audience the opportunity to learn through practical experience and creative exploration.

Practical learning: In the creation workshops, school students and leisure-time audiences get hands-on experience with technology and science. They learn to program, work with electronics, and use digital fabrication such as 3D printing. This allows them to see firsthand how the theory they learn in the classroom can be applied in practice.

Engagement and creative joy: By participating in activities such as soldering, drawing and 3D printing, greater engagement and motivation for science, engineering and technology is awakened. By experiencing and creating something of one's own, one experiences mastery and ignites the spark of science.

Interdisciplinary: The Creator Workshops combine science, programming, and creativity in a unique way. This provides a holistic learning experience where students and leisure visitors can see connections between different subject areas.

Accessibility: The maker workshops are open to school classes on weekdays and to all visitors on weekends and holidays, giving more people the opportunity to participate and learn in a practical and engaging way.

The gang from The Talent Centre . Photo: Jill Bottolfsen

TALENT CENTER IN SCIENCES

The establishment of a talent center in science is a follow -up to the science strategy close to science, which was presented by the Ministry of Education in the fall of 2015. Talent Center in Science is a customized training program for students with great learning potential. In the spring of 2019, the talent center program was established as a permanent education program subject to the Education Act, on behalf of the Ministry of Education. The Talent Centre is an offer to pupils of 7th to 10th steps in primary school, as well as pupils who attend the first two years in upper secondary education.

The talent center in science is based on theoretical science such as mathematics, chemistry, physics and biology, and integrates them with technology development, prototyping and practical use of theory. The duty in the Education Act to adapt the training also applies to students who need extra academic challenges, who are particularly eager to learn, and who quickly get bored because they quickly master the tasks they receive. In 2024, the talent center in science at Oslo Science Centre had 384 pupils from four different counties distributed over 8 branches.

Through the DNB Sparebankstiftelsen DNB has been established at three different high schools in Oslo. Pupils from nearby secondary schools attend these branches. Through the collaboration with Ferd AS, in 2024 we had two branches in the Eastern Region, one in Larvik and one in Lillestrøm. Through the collaboration with Ferd Social Entrepreneurs and their Oslo initiatives, we have also operated two branches in Oslo, one at Bjerke vgs and one at Bjørnholt vgs. Through the collaboration with the municipality of Oslo, Lillestrøm municipality, Ferd and Sparebankstiftelsen, we have the course over 1000 teachers in how to identify students with great learning potential and adapt the training for the entire breadth of a classroom through community -creating didactics.

Four adults sit at a long table with a computer and notepads

Photo: Håkon Bergseth

THE CREATIVE SCHOOL – WHERE CREATIVE CULTURE MEETS SCHOOL CULTURE

The Creator School is a concept where the creator culture meets the school culture. The Creator School Project is a collaboration between the Natural Sciences Center and the Science Centers that are about integrating practical and creative learning into school life, so that students have the opportunity to explore technology and science in an engaging way.

The central goal of the Creator School is for students to experience meaning and mastery. Students learn through playful and practical activities. The Creator School's values and methodology contribute to a more varied, motivating and engaging school that equips students with skills for the future. Through the Creator School methodology, we contribute to more students participating and feeling included in the learning community.

The Skaperskolen didactic toolbox is based on research and theory about learning through practical work. It consists of principles and tools for planning and implementing practical and creative work in the classroom. All teaching resources in the Skaperskolen provide practical examples of didactic approaches and methods that are described in the didactic toolbox.

Through 2024, we see that the popularity of the Creators School Methodology has increased significantly in line with society's desires for a more practical and engaging school. Oslo Science Centre has held an annual unit with further education for teachers with a focus on creative school methodology, as well as over 20 individual courses for schools in our region.

Photo: Thomas Fjærtoft

SkaperLab youth club

Creator Lab Youth Club at The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology During the year, an arena for youth has been interested in science, engineering and technology aged 12 to 16 years. Every other Thursday, participants have the opportunity to explore science through practical experiments and creative projects. The offer has been free, and the Science Center has provided easy serving to the participants.

The youth club has used the facilities of the museum and the Science Center to offer varied activities. The participants have also had the opportunity to work on their own long -term projects with the assistance of the Science Center's educators and subject experts. Creator lab introduces and allows children and young people to work on topics such as soldering, astronomy and digital fabrication. Through 2024 we have had 281 participants at the youth club.

More about the science center

One of The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology 's most important social missions is to actively contribute to science recruitment by disseminating knowledge about technology, industry, science and medicine to the general public. Through Oslo Science Centre and its school activities, the museum works to create enthusiasm for the disciplines and provide knowledge about and interest in this. Oslo Science Centre collaborates closely with the higher education sector to offer updated competence development to the school system rooted in curricula and the schools' pedagogical goals. Operating funds come from the Ministry of Education and Research through the Research Council of Norway. The mandate is to work for increased interest and recruitment to science studies and professions.