IV International Summer Course "Astronomy Adventure in the Canary Islands"

Cartel del curso de verano para profesorado "Astronomy Adventure in the Canary Islands" 2018. Crédito: IAC.
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The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) is organizing, in collaboration with the Núcleo Interactivo de Astronomia (Portugal), the Faulkes Telescope Project (Cardiff University, United Kingdom) and the European Science Education Academy (ESEA), the fourth edition of the Summer Course "Astronomy Adventure in the Canary Islands", aimed at school-level European teachers. This training school, which will take place at the IAC Headquarters in La Laguna (Tenerife), from July 30th to August 3rd 2018, includes lectures and practical workshops, as well as a training visit to the Teide Observatory in Tenerife. On Saturday, August 4th, it will also be possibble to make an optional visit to the Observatory of Roque de los Muchachos, in La Palma.

What is Astrophysics, how we study the Universe through light, what types of stars are there, how are the planets that revolve around other stars and how we can detect them. These are some of the astronomical topics that will be addressed. Inquiry based learning, the multidisciplinary approach, educational resources and online laboratories and the use of robotic telescopes in the classroom are also important contents of the training, which aims to provide teachers with knowledge and useful tools to develop a scientific-technical education more playful, more imaginative and, above all, more stimulating for their students.

The course is in the framework of the IAC Educational Project with Robotic Telescopes (PETeR) and the European projects Galileo Teacher Training Program and Open Schools for Open Societies and will be given in English, because it is open not only to the Spanish education community but also to teachers from other countries in the European Union (via the Erasmus+ Programme). This gives the course an international character, and offers the participants an excellent opportunity to set up links and collaborations with educational centres in other countries.

The training of 30 hours is certified by the IAC, the Consejería de Educación y Universidades (CEU) of the Government of the Canary Islands and the Ministry of Education (Spanish Government). The course also has the collaboration of the Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), through its program "The CSIC in the School", and the Area of Scientific Vocations and Creativity (STEAM) of the Educational Innovation Service of the CEU.

For Spanish teachers there is no registration fee, but it will be necessary to sign upr, as the number of available places is limited. Registration is open until 15th July (or until all the places are filled) and places will be assigned in order of registration, with priority to teachers who are on duty in public centers.

To register, it is necessary to fill in the attached registration form and send it by email to Nayra Rodríguez Eugenio (nre [at] iac.es (nre[at]iac[dot]es)), director of the course, along with a copy of the ID.

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