Teaching with Space and Astronomy in your Classroom

The Teaching with Space and Astronomy in your Classroom course will train and empower you to successfully teach space-related topics. It aims to educate teachers how to introduce and attract more and more young people to careers in space. The method through which you will be able to achieve this objective will be via inquiry-based science education teaching practices, the effective use of ICT tools, managing diversity and obtaining a gender balance in the classroom.

The course therefore aims to introduce you to the concept of inquiry-based science education and the effective use of ICT tools in the science classroom. Furthermore, the course will address questions of diversity related to the space sciences and inquiry-based science education and provide guidance and resources for introducing students to a range of space careers.

The following 4 topics will be explored in more detail during the course:

1. Use of the Inquiry Based Science Education teaching methodology;
2. Use of ICT tools in the science classroom;
3. Develop teaching strategies in order to manage diverse classrooms and promote gender balance;
4. Communicate to students space-related careers and facilitate them developing the key skills involved.

On the course we will be reflecting, discussing and sharing with each other about these topics. You will find a community of like-minded professionals on the course who can support each other in improving their classroom practices. We will be using a variety of online tools and social media to communicate with each other and engage in some peer review activities as part of the course.

Join us already in the Teaching with Space and Astronomy in your Classroom Facebook group and share your ideas about the topic on Twitter using #spacemooc.

Space Awareness is an international project targeting children and teenagers all over Europe, providing them with information on space-related subjects. The project strives to educate children and young adults on the numerous career opportunities offered by the space industry and show them that space science can be fun and engaging. Space Awareness offers free high-quality resources for educators and children easily adaptable to different disciplines and countries.

Teaching with Space and Astronomy in your classroom’ course is produced by the team of the Space Awareness project. In particular, there have been four partner organizations of the project who have built one of the modules you will enter over the course of the next 5 weeks.

1. Why Space & Space Careers?
2. Working with Inquiry in the Science Classroom
3. Use of ICT Tools in the Science Classroom
4. How to Manage Diversity and Gender Balance in the Classroom
5. How to introduce space careers to your students