Description
Astronomy education has received more interest in recent years. However, there are still increasing demands for access to professional astronomical resources, and gaps in accessibility is still a recurring problem in many regions around the world. To help bridge this gap and promote equal access to educational opportunities, the ITCA Teacher Training Workshop was developed for an international audience. The primary objective of this workshop is to equip educators—the vital component in passing on knowledge to future generations—with practical tools, accurate content, and inclusive approaches to improve astronomy instruction in diverse classroom settings.
Many educational systems in various regions still rely on traditional, passive learning methods that have difficulties in keeping up with the needs of today’s learners. As such, hands-on and active learning activities, connecting astronomy to real-life experiences relevant to teachers and students, were key to the workshop. For instance, reconceptualizing familiar phenomena through an activity comparing themselves to the Earth to learn the moon phases more clearly. Realizing the vast scale of the solar system simply by walking through a scale model, without leaving the ground. The materials used in all activities are widely available and easily adaptable with local resources—ensuring that teachers could confidently bring these activities into their own classrooms. The workshop has been conducted with collaboration with local partners across Southeast Asia, including Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Timor-Leste, Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam. It has also expanded to other regions, such as Nepal and Botswana.
The participants gained effective and accurate methods for communicating astronomy in a simple and accessible manner, and they were inspired by unique experiences and fresh ideas that they can apply and implement in their instructional contexts—passing on knowledge from generation to generation. These outcomes help ensure that astronomy can connect people across borders in a sustainable way. Future collaborations with interested partners from around the world are welcomed, with the aim of continuing to encourage educators globally, aligning with NARIT’s mission “Leave no one behind.”
