Four of our school's teachers had the opportunity to visit the European Space Agency (ESA) Galaxia facilities in Belgium, to attend the educational workshop entitled: "Teach with the moon".
ESA offers an exciting training program for educators who want to bring the world of space exploration into their classrooms. This program offers a full range of activities and resources to help educators integrate space themes into their curriculum and encourage their students' interest in space exploration by applying STEAM methods and other innovative practices, which enable teachers to familiarize themselves with the latest scientific findings and technologies related to the space sector.
More specifically, during the two-day workshop, our teachers browsed ESA's resource platform, which includes educational materials (educational videos, games, and activities) related to space and space missions, were introduced to 3D design using the software Tinkercad and Codeblocks, printed on a 3D printer, worked in groups on various activities such as coding games, building a bionic hand, etc. and finally toured the ESA satellite facilities in the Redu area, where they were informed about the tests and space missions that are carried out there.
More generally, both the highly interesting presentations and interactive activities designed by the ESA educational team, as well as the interaction with educators from other countries, made this workshop a special experience.
Since our goal is the children, we look forward to transferring the experience and knowledge we have gained into the classroom, strengthening the effort for a differentiated educational approach, beyond the classic education models.
