Space Education International Workshop
13 April 2016
Every year, the European Space Agency (ESA) organises a training workshop for teachers in association with the Galileo Teacher Training Program (GTTP). In 2016, the event joins forces with the European Project, Space Awareness, for a five day workshop in space and education. The event will be held in Leiden, the Netherlands, from 18 to 22 October 2016.Rationale
The Space Education International Workshop 2016 invites participants to explore best practices and innovative uses of astronomy and space sciences for education. The event covers the full spectrum of formal and informal education systems. Participants will meet and share ideas, practices, and resources that have been developed and implemented by Space Awareness, GTTP, ESA education, and their partners worldwide.
The workshop will address: the use of inspirational education material; the introduction of space related careers from a young age; and evaluating the impact of exposing children to motivational astronomy activities. Participants will also find out more about ESA Education activities, as well as the latest news from ESA space science and astronomy missions.
The workshop will include keynote speakers, presentations, discussions, and practical workshops.
The event is open to primary and secondary school teachers, educators, science communication professionals, and policy makers.
Registration is now closed
Practicalities
Participation in the workshop is free of charge. Participants are expected to cover the full cost of their travel to and from the Netherlands, their hotel accommodation, and meals, with the exception of one social dinner offered by the organisation.
The city of Leiden is located 20 minutes by train from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The workshop will be held in the city centre, within walking distance of Leiden Centraal train station. A list of hostels and accommodation will be published when registration opens.
Teachers are welcome to attend the workshop on Friday21 and Saturday 22 October if they are not able to come for the full programme.
Grants
ESA and Space Awareness will offer a limited number of grants towards the costs of hotel accommodation, transportation, and subsistence. Reimbursements will be made after the workshop. Application for a grant will be available as part of the registration process. Notifications will be sent to selected participants on 30 June 2016. Note that only primary and secondary school teachers of STEM-related subjects, residing and working, within any of the ESA Member States and Cooperating States * will be considered for ESA grants. Priority will be given to teachers who have not participated in previous ESA teacher workshops.
*ESA Member States in March 2016
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
Cooperating States
Canada, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Main Topics
· Why space for education?
· Education tools and resources
· Space science, transdisciplinary, and curricula
· Space to foster diversity and inclusion
· ICT and inquiry in space education
· Evaluation and assessment
· Introduction of space careers
· Current space missions and global concerns
About the organisers
ESA
The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. ESA is an international organisation with 22 Member States. By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, it can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. www.esa.int/Education
The Galileo Teacher Training Program
The GTTP goal is to create a worldwide network of Galileo Ambassadors and Galileo Teachers. These Ambassadors train Teachers in the effective use and transfer of astronomy education tools and resources into classroom science curricula. Through workshops, online training tools and basic education kits, the products and techniques developed by this programme can be adapted to reach locations with few resources of their own, as well as computer-connected areas that can take advantage of access to robotic optical and radio telescopes, webcams, astronomy exercises, cross-disciplinary resources, image processing and digital universes (web and desktop planetariums). http://galileoteachers.org/
Space Awareness
Space Awareness uses the wonders of the Universe and excitement of space science to raise the interest of children from 8 to 18 in science and technology and inspire them to become the new generation of space explores. It offers a range of activities to support the inclusion of space in formal and informal education for teachers in primary and secondary schools, science educators, and science communicators. Space Awareness is an international network with national contacts in 22 countries in Europe and Africa. Its resources are available in 8 languages.www.space-awareness.org