Description
Empowering teachers and educators is vital in building a strong foundation through meaningful and engaging teaching strategies. This empowerment plays a key role in enhancing student learning while nurturing adaptive, globally competitive learners. Astronomy training allows science educators to create dynamic learning experiences, where students engage with complex concepts about the universe, fostering scientific literacy, curiosity, and critical thinking. It also equips educators to instill enthusiasm and knowledge to others through effective educational methods and practices. However, in many schools across Valenzuela City, Philippines, science equipment, especially telescopes, is underutilized. Often, these tools are simply stored or displayed in the laboratories without being actively used. Additionally, some teachers lack the ability and training to assemble, maintain, or operate telescopes. Although many are well-versed in theoretical concepts, there remains a gap in integrating laboratory equipment into classroom instruction. Hence, the Valenzuela City League of Astronomy Enthusiasts (V-CLUE), in partnership with the Valenzuela City Academic Center for Excellence (ValACE), a local library in the Valenzuela City organized a teacher's training as part of the celebration of National Astronomy Week (NAW) 2025. This initiative featured an engaging telescope workshop for science teachers from selected schools in the city. Through this training, educators gained practical skills and developed their competence to conduct telescope-based activities. Beyond addressing the underutilization of equipment, the workshop emphasized the importance of equipping educators with hands-on experience and support, enabling them to incorporate the skills gained into their teaching practices. Thus, empowering teachers enhances their understanding of astronomy, enriches students, and helps instill curiosity to the next generation of space explorers. This effort serves as a headway toward transforming idle equipment into powerful educational tools that bring astronomy to everyday classroom experiences.
