Information about GIREP was provided by Seta Oblak, Board of Education, Ljubljana, SLOVENIA.
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A word from the President

Dear GIREP members,
As your new President, elected at the 1998 GIREP conference in Duisburg, I would like to address all members and to point out some of the interesting and challenging tasks to be tackled in the future.
GIREP has an outstanding tradition in international cooperation in the field of teaching modern physics. It is a great honour and pleasure to work for this highly esteemed community of physics teachers from all over the world, especially now as we make the move into a new millennium. As the past GIREP President Karl Luchner put it, members of GIREP are not only physics teachers. Moreover, they are highly idealistic persons, combining expertise in very different fields.
A high degree of competence in the subject area of physics is one important prerequisite, being a great challenge in itself in view of the rapid and still accelerating pace of scientific and technological development. In addition to the progress within physics and to the important developments linking physics with inter- and transdisciplinary areas, we have to keep track of the broader contexts, into which our science is embedded and from which it emerges. In my view, this requires an intelligent balance between tradition and innovation. Physics as a mental challenge is driven by the conviction, that the universe is intelligible by the human mind. The search for unifying principles has been the grand theme, conserved throughout all changes during the development of modern science. As part of our cultural heritage, we have to convey the "big ideas" of our discipline and make them accessible and sensible to our students in a meaningful and authentic way, which meets their expectations and needs.
Excellence on the physics side has to be complemented with excellence in terms of pedagogy. Switching the focus from physics to teaching, we have to acknowledge, that during the last decades significant progress has been achieved in research on teaching and learning processes and on using new technologies for teaching and learning. However, a great deal of this valuable knowledge has not been transformed to practical implementations on a broad scale. We still have to try hard to put together threads from different directions, matching the physics oriented view and the learner oriented view on various levels.
Science in general and especially physics has been under severe pressure in the last decades, suffering from declining students' interest and enrolments. We are faced with the paradoxical situation of living in a society based on science and technology, the base of which is seemingly thinned out and the gap between the notorious "two cultures" is even increasing. The role of scientific literacy and the public understanding of science have become political issues in view of a globally linked society where knowledge plays an eminent role. As a reaction, different countries have launched programs to promote the quality of science education. Being involved in a national effort to improve the efficiency of mathematics and science education myself, I consider it one of the aims of future GIREP conferences to share our experiences from these different efforts and to make them accessible to the community.
At present, an interesting development can be observed on the intern-ational level. Formerly, knowledge used to be transferred from the developed countries to the less developed ones. This situation is about to change: nations, which were newcomers one generation ago, have made a superb progress and have reached a stage, where in turn the developed countries can profit from their approaches and their experience.
Let us take this as an indicator for the GIREP philosophy that international cooperation and cross-cultural exchange combined with idealism and enthusiasm will pay in the long run and will help to further the image of physics both as an intellectual endeavour and as one of the central pillars of our modern culture.

Manfred Euler

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A Brief History of GIREP

In the years 1960-64 OECE (that later became OECD) arranged a series of international meetings to encourage the renewal of Physics teaching. The meetings proved to be a valuable source of inspiration for the participants. However, from 1964 OECD concentrated on other fields and stopped supporting meetings on physics education. - A number of persons who had attended the previuous meetings, led by prof. W. Knecht, Switzerland, believed that the series of international meetings on teaching physics in schools should continue. To this end they formed an international working group: GIREP was founded 15. March 1966 with Prof. Knecht as President. - At the beginning the number of members of GIREP was quite small (a few tens), but it soon grew to over 100 and now, since many years, it is quite stable at about 250. - Very soon GIREP began to organize international meetings, finding sponsorship from Universities, Ministries of Education, UNESCO; ESA and many other national and international organizations. One way the Ministries of Education sponsor the Meetings is paying for the attendance of local school teacher. Here is a list of GIREP meetings from the very beginning:

1.     Jan. 1967 (Lausanne, Switzerland): in collaboration with the International Commission of Mathematics Teaching, preliminary informal meeting on the co-ordination of mathematics and physics teaching at the secondary school.
2.     30. Oct.-5.Nov. 1968 (Malvern, UK): Study and discussion of the Nuffield Physics.
3.     30. July-5.Aug. 1969 (Copenhagen, Denmark): Energy in the lower secondary school, Quantum mechanics and Relativity in the higher secondary school.
4.     16.-18. Mar. 1972 (Kiel, Germany): joint GIREP-UNESCO Meeting on the implementation of curricula in science education with sepcial regard to physics teaching.
5.     14.-20. Oct. 1973 (Venezia, Italy): "Electricity, magnetism and mechanics in the secondary school".
6.     6.-10. Sept. 1976 (Montpellier, France): Two main topics: "First steps in teaching physics at the beginning of secondary school", and "Probability and Statistics in physics teaching".
7.     14.-21. July 1978 (Oxford, UK): joint ICPE-GIREP Meeting on "The role of the Laboratory in Physics Teaching".
8.      19.-24. Aug. 1979 (Rehovot, Israel): two topics: "Teaching Waves and Oscillations" and "Current Problems in Physics Teaching".
9.      6.-12. Sept. 1981 (Balatonfüred, Hungary): "Nuclear Physics, Nuclear Power".
10.    20.-25. Aug. 1984 (Zeist, Holand): "The many faces of teaching and learning mechanics".
11.    18.-23. Aug. 1986 (Elsinore, Denmark): "COSMOS - an Educational Challenge".
12.    7.-13. Sept. 1989 (Balatonfüred, Hungary): "Energy Alternatives - Risk Education".
13.    19.-24. Aug. 1991 (Torun, Poland): "Teaching about Reference Frames - from Copernicus to Einstein".
14.    16.-21. July 1993 (Braga, Portugal): "Light and Information".
15.    24.-30.Aug. 1995 (Udine, Italy): joint ICPE-GIREP Meeting on "Teaching the science of condensed matters and new materials".
16.    21.-27.Aug. 1996 (Ljubljana, Slovenia): joint ICPE-GIREP Meeting on" New Ways of Teaching Physics".
17.    23.-28. Aug. 1998 (Duisburg, Germany): "Hands-On experiments in physics education"
18.    27. Aug - 1. Sept. (Barcelona, Spain): "Physics Teacher Education Beyond 2000"

Since 1969 all Meetings published Proceedings, that were distributed to all members. But occasionally Proceedings of other Conferences were also distributed: for example of ICPE Conference on Education for Physics Teaching, Trieste 1980; Microscience Conference on Computers in Science Education, Balaton 1985; ICPE Teaching Modern Physics Conference on Condensed Matter, Munich 1988; and presently RIO FOLLOWUP - International science education conference on environmental issues, Eger 1994.

The Presidence of GIREP from foundation 1966 was held by

1966 - 1969 W. Knecht (Switzerland)
1969 - 1972 Soren Sikjaer (Denmark)
1972 - 1979 Poul Thomsen (Royal Danish School of Educational Studies, Copenhagen, Denmark)
1979 - 1984 Arturo Loria (University of Modena, Italy)
1985 - 1991 Paul Black (King's College, London, UK)
1992 - 1995 George Marx (R. Eoetvoes University, Budapest, Hungary)
1995 - 1999 Karl Luchner (University of Munich, Germany)
1999 - 2005 Manfred Euler (Department of Physics Education, IPN (Institute for Science Education), University of Kiel, Germany)
2005 - now Ton Ellermeijer (AMSTEL Institute, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

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STATUTES OF GIREP

Adopted 1972, revised 1989 and 1995

The Statutes were adopted in Kiel, Germany on March 17, 1972, then revised by the General Assembly on September 12, 1989 in Balatonfüred, Hungary (articles 2 and 11) and revised again by the General Assembly on August 29, 1995 in Udine, Italy (article 17).

Art .1
The International Research Group on Physics Teaching (GIREP) is an international body of physics professors and teachers who want to cooperate in their work on physics teaching.
It enjoys legal status according to the Swiss Common Law.

Art. 2
The principal aims and purposes of GIREP are:

• to use every possible means to promote and encourage every effort made with a view to adapting physics teaching to the present knowledge;
• to collaborate as closely as possible with any international organisation whose field of activity is connected with that of the Group;
• to foster friendly contacts between physics teachers and professors above national barriers at all levels of education;
• to stimulate the exchange of information and team work between its members and to keep them informed of the work of the International Organisations in the field of its activities.

Art. 3
The Group is formed of ordinary members, subscribing members and possibly honorary members.

Art. 4
The ordinary members are individuals or groups.
The individual members are physics teachers or professors.
The groups are societies of physics teachers or professors or broadly speaking, national or international scientific bodies interested in the same field of activity as GIREP.
The subscribing members are persons, associations, companies or firms who accept to support financially the activities of GIREP but do not participate in its activities.

Art.5
It is within the General Assembly(s competence to elect as honorary member of the Group any person whose especially valuable work in favour of physics teaching or GIREP deserves recognition.
The honorary members do not pay any membership fee and enjoy the same rights as the ordinary members.

Art. 6
Membership is granted to any candidate who applies for it to the Committee and as soon as this application is accepted by the Committee.
The members are not personally responsible for the liabilities of GIREP. These liabilities are warranted by the credit of the Group.

Art. 7
The different organs of GIREP are:

1) The General Assembly formed of all the active members and the possible honorary members;
2) The National Sections, each of them being formed of the members of the General Assembly living in the same country;
3) The Committee;
4) The Commission of Representatives formed by the Committee and the delegates of the National Sections;
5) The Commission of Auditors.

Art. 8
GIREP works mainly through:

1) The working seminar of the Commission of Representatives;
2) The information bulletins draught by the National Sections;
3) The possible international symposiums organised in collaboration with other international institutions.

Art. 9
The General Assembly is the highest authority of the Group. It is consulted by letter as often as necessary. The General Assembly delegates its authority to the Commission of Representatives when the latter sits and for the duration of the session.

Art. 10
The Commission of Representatives holds an administrative meeting at the same time as the working seminar organised in turn every two years in the various countries represented. It is presided over by the President of the Committee. It takes decisions at the simple majority of the participating members. If necessary the vote of the President will help to sway the decision.
The programmes of the working seminars are prepared by the Committee. The Committee convenes the Commission of Representatives. The Chairman of the working seminar is the President of the National Section of the host country.

Art. 11
The Committee is the executive organ of the Group. Its members are elected by the General Assembly for four years. They are reelegible. The Committee is formed of the President, two Vice-presidents, the General Secretary and the Treasurer. The President and the Vice-Presidents belong to different countries and, if possible, to two different linguistic regions. The joint signatures of the Treasurer and another member of the Committee involve the financial responsibility of the Group.

Art. 12
Each National Section is constituted and is financially run according to its choice. It elects in particular a President, a Secretary and a Treasurer. Several offices may be held by the same person.
Once a year - at a seminar or by letter - each National Section will submit to the Committee in the form of an "Information Bulletin" a concise report on the activities carried out in the country in favour of physics teaching.
The National Sections represent GIREP before their national authorities and professional associations in their respective countries. A standing invitation is extended to the President of the Committee to participate in the meetings of the National Sections.

Art. 13
The Commission of Auditors is formed of two members who are elected in the same way and for the same period as the Committee. Two substitutes are elected for the same period. The Auditors do not reside in the same country as the Treasurer and are not members of the Committee. The same rule applies to the substitutes.

Art. 14
GIREP may invite to all or part of the meetings of its various organs any person whose collaboration is thought to be valuable. In particular, representatives of the international organisations are invited to the most important meetings when their field of activity is connected with that of GIREP.

Art. 15
When decisions are made by letter, the simple majority of the expressed opinions is required; the documents are kept in the GIREP Records and may be consulted at any time by the members. The decisions made my letter are considered as being made at the headquarters of GIREP.

Art. 16
The yearly accounts of GIREP are kept by the Treasurer. The financial year begins on 1st January. Every year the balance sheet and the report of the auditors are sent to the members who may return the sheet within 14 days in case of disapproval. The account books are kept with GIREP(s records.

Art. 17
In the October each year, those members who have not paid for the previous two years will be removed from the membership list.

Art. 18
The Committee, as well as the General Assembly, may exclude any member of GIREP for serious offence.

Art. 19
The present Statutes may be revised by a 2/3 majority of the General Assembly or of the Commission of Representatives entitled to act on the authority of the General Assembly.

Art. 20
The dissolution of the association may be decided under the same conditions as the revision of the Statutes. In case of dissolution the credit of GIREP will be given to an international association, whose activities are in favour of physics or scientific teaching.

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GIREP COMMITTEE

President: Ton Ellermeijer, AMSTEL Institute, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Vice-presidents: Michele D’Anna, Alta Scuola Pedagogica, Locarno, Switzerland
Ian Lawrence, School of Education, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom

Secretary: Gorazd Planinsic, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics

Treasurer: Rosa Maria Sperandeo-Mineo, Universita` di Palermo Viale delle Scienze (Edificio 18), 90128 PALERMO, Italy (e-mail: sperandeo@difter.unipa.it )

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FEES

The current fee is EURO 20 (+ 1 EURO expenses) for one year.

The accounting year runs from January 1 to December 31. Fees paid after September in any year will be credited on the following year, unless the applicant specifies otherwise.

The fee can be paid into the following account:
Rosa Maria Mineo-Sperandeo MEDIOLANUM BANK-Account N 478971,
BIC-code: MEDBITMMXXX
IBAN : IT41R0306234210000000478971

For Italian members (national transfer):
Rosa Maria Mineo-Sperandeo MEDIOLANUM BANK-Account N 478971 [ ABI: 03062, CAB: 34210].

At the same time, please send a note (by letter, fax or e-mail) to the Treasurer, confirming how much money you sent and when and for what years.

The members should pay all bank charges and mailing costs. Please ask your bank for these costs before transferring money!

If you prefer to reduce bank or cheque expenses, you may pay several years fees in advance.

Please do not send cheques (high expenses!)

In cases of real difficulty to arrange payment, please contact the Secretary or the Treasurer who are ready to advise whether special arrangements can be made.

The General Assembly of GIREP members in Udine (August 1995) accepted the following supplementary new article for the GIREP statutes:
Each year in October, those members who have not paid for the previous two years will be removed from the membership list.

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