Telescope Reviews: Galileo Teacher Training Program

GALILEO TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM
BRINGS ASTRONOMY INTO THE CLASSROOM

Press release concerning a new IYA2009 Cornerstone Project
whose launch is being announced at the AAS meeting. Although Pedro
Russo is not participating in the press conference, he will attend and
will be available to answer reporters’ questions.

EMBARGOED UNTIL:
10:30 a.m. PDT (1:30 p.m. EDT)
Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Contact:
Pedro Russo
IAU IYA2009 Coordinator
ESO ePOD, Garching, Germany
Tel: +49 89 320 06 195
Cellular: +49 176 6110 0211
Fax: +49 89 320 23 62
E-mail: prusso@eso.org

**Additional contact data appear below.**

GALILEO TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM
BRINGS ASTRONOMY INTO THE CLASSROOM

June 9, 2009: The Galileo Teacher Training Program has been launched,
bringing training and resources to teachers around the globe. The
project’s aim is to improve astronomy education for children of all
nations, by better equipping their tutors through a comprehensive set
of resources and practical guidance.

The Galileo Teacher Training Program (GTTP) is a Cornerstone project
of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009). This
celebration of astronomy and its contribution to science and society
aims to boost the quality of education for children and young adults
and GTTP is at the forefront of these efforts. The core concept is
that by training teachers better, and equipping them with the right
resources to tackle astronomy in the classroom, the effect will be
significant and long-lasting, enduring far beyond 2009. The GTTP
program of activities was announced today during the 214th American
Astronomical Society Meeting in Pasadena, California, USA.

Astronomy education specialists have identified a critical education
challenge: many teachers lack the training to understand these
resources or use them effectively in their curricula. To counter this,
educators are offered GTTP workshops. These workshops are taking place
around the world, namely in Europe (the Netherlands, France, UK,
Poland and Portugal), South America (Brazil and Colombia), Africa
(Kenya) and South East Asia and Pacific (China, Indonesia and Japan).
The teachers attending these workshops are the first Galileo Teachers
and the seeds for the wider global network of future Galileo Teachers.
The GTTP goal is to create a worldwide network of 3000 to 6000
certified Galileo Teachers by 2012, who will be equipped to train
other teachers in these methodologies, leveraging the work begun
during IYA2009 in classrooms everywhere.

GTTP Chair Rosa Doran is very enthusiastic with the programme’s
reception and she adds, “It’s very exciting to be releasing the
Galileo Teacher Training Program. We’ve put a lot of effort into the
workshops, resources and website, which we see as the vehicles for
improving the teaching of science in classrooms around the world. The
resources available on the GTTP website are world-class, and their
number will only grow as the project matures. Our system of training
and certification will also equip educators to use astronomy
effectively to enhance the education of their pupils.” Beyond this,
the existence of such a network will guarantee continuous support for
Galileo Teachers from their peers as they put their newly acquired
knowledge into practice in the classroom.

The project website, http://www.galileoteachers.org is the
initiative’s central hub. This newly released site contains a wealth
of resources, from training and educational materials to news and
useful contacts within the astronomy communication community. Content
will be added throughout the year, resulting in an impressive
depository of information and activities which can be called upon as
and when needed.

Links

Galileo Teacher Training Program website: http://www.galileoteachers.org/
This release: www.iau.org/public_press/news/release/iau0912/
IYA2009 website: http://www.astronomy2009.org/

Notes

The vision of the IYA2009 is to help the citizens of the world
rediscover their place in the Universe through the day and night-time
skies the impact of astronomy and basic sciences on our daily lives,
and understand better how scientific knowledge can contribute to a
more equitable and peaceful society.

The aim of the IYA2009 is to stimulate worldwide interest, especially
among young people, in astronomy and science under the central
theme‚”The Universe, Yours to Discover”. IYA2009 events and activities
will promote a greater appreciation of the inspirational aspects of
astronomy that embody an invaluable shared resource for all countries.

The IYA2009 activities are taking place at the global and regional
levels, and especially at the national and local levels. National
Nodes in each state have been formed to prepare activities for 2009.
These Nodes establish collaborations between professional and amateur
astronomers, science centres, educators and science communicators in
preparing activities for 2009. The International Year of Astronomy was
proclaimed by the United Nations on 20 December 2007.

The IAU is the international astronomical organization that brings
together almost 10 000 distinguished astronomers from all nations of
the world. Its mission is to promote and safeguard the science of
astronomy in all its aspects through international cooperation. The
IAU also serves as the internationally recognized authority for
assigning designations to celestial bodies and the surface features on
them. Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world’s largest professional
body for astronomers.

The GTTP has been produced by the International Astronomical Union in
collaboration with IYA2009 National Nodes and leading organizations in
the field of astronomy education.

Additional Contacts:
Rosa Doran
Chair, Galileo Teacher Training Program
Cellular: +35 196 678 1264
E-mail: rosa.doran@nuclio.pt

Yolanda Berenguer
UNESCO Focal Point for the International Year of Astronomy 2009
UNESCO HQ, Paris
Tel: +33 1 4568 4171
E-mail: y.berenguer@unesco.org

Dr. Karel A. van der Hucht
General Secretary, International Astronomical Union
IAU Secretariat, Paris, France
Tel: +33 1 43 25 83 58
E-mail: K.A.van.der.Hucht@sron.nl

Lars Lindberg Christensen
IAU Press Officer
ESO ePOD, Garching, Germany
Tel: +49 89 3200 6761
Cellular: +49 173 3872 621
E-mail: lars@eso.org

WEB LINKS

Information on the IYA2009 Galileoscope project (the subject of Dr.
Stephen M. Pompea’s presentation at the briefing):

* http://www.galileoscope.org/
* https://www.galileoscope.org/gs/content/downloads/

Information on the IYA2009 Dark Skies Awareness project and related
efforts (the subject of Dr. Constance E. Walker’s presentation):

* http://www.globe.gov/GaN/
* http://www.darkskiesawareness.org/
* http://www.darkskiesawareness.org/files/GaN-maps/
* http://www.darkskiesawareness.org/files/GaN-ppt/