ESA invites teachers to the Teach Space in Primary Education Workshop

ESA continues to extend its space education programmes. In the domain of Human Spaceflight (astronauts, International Space Station) one of the plans for 2003 is to focus on how to use space as a tool for teaching in primary schools (age group 8-12).

ESA's 15 Member States have a variety of school systems and curricula. ESA needs help from Europe's teachers to identify which topics are taught and what material and activities ESA can provide to support their effort.

Primary school teachers who would like to participate and share their pedagogical expertise are invited to fill out the questionnaire (link) and return it to us via e-mail, fax or regular mail.

Based on the response to the questionnaire, ESA will invite representatives from each ESA Member State(*), as well as from Greece, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Luxembourg and Russia to the one-and-a-half day Teach Space in Primary Education Workshop at ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. The workshop will be held 3–4 March 2003, and travel and accommodation will be paid by ESA.

The participants of the workshop will be asked to contribute with information about their curricula, teaching methods and practise to help ESA identify:

• The common elements of European curricula

   

• Teaching methods and practise throughout Europe (in particular gender and science/mathematics education and the use of Information and Communication Technology in primary education)

   

• What educational material and activities ESA could provide primary school teachers.

If you are interested in participating in the workshop, and speak English (please note that the workshop will be in English only), please complete and return the questionnaire (link) to us before 22 January 2003. If you have any questions, please contact:

Ms Solveig Pettersen
ISS Utilisation Strategy and Education Office
ESA – ESTEC
P.O. Box 299
2200 AG Noordwijk
The Netherlands

Tel: +31 (0) 71 565 5755
fax: +31 (0)71 565 44 99
e-mail: Solveig.Pettersen@esa.int

If you would like to know more about ESA’s Educational and Outreach activities please visit http://www.esa.int/education or contact education@esa.int .

For more information on Human Spaceflight education programmes please visit: http://www.esa.int/export/esaHS/education.html

(*) ESA Member States: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.