April 2017 Engaging Children in Science Education

NUI Galway seminar will discuss methods to engage children in science education

NUI Galway’s Cell EXPLORERS science outreach programme is partnering with ProActivate Ireland to organise a day of presentations and discussion on innovative methods of engaging children in science education. The seminar will take place in the Institute for Lifecourse and Society, NUI Galway on Tuesday, 25 April from 10am – 4pm, and will constitute the first public event of the European Union funded project InEdu*.

The seminar will focus on a number of key areas in science outreach and education, including: encouraging critical thinking; experimentation and innovation; demonstrating different lines of scientific enquiry; incorporating technology into the classroom; bringing together arts, creativity and science; as well as promotion of social inclusion.

Educators engaging children in science, teachers or other science education providers, are invited to join the discussion and share their techniques and tips with a panel of like-minded professionals.

Dr Muriel Grenon, Vice-Dean for Promotion of Science Technology Engineering and Maths at NUI Galway, said: “This event is a unique opportunity for participants to learn from one another, exchange best practice, forge potential partnerships, and meet locally based practitioners working in the area of science education or outreach. Importantly, it is a chance to exchange with some of the most successful and innovative science outreach programmes in Europe, all partners in the InEdu project.”

One of the European science outreach programmes who will present on the day is Children’s University Foundation, a Polish award winning organisation that have been running original, advanced educational programmes based on children’s curiosity since 2007.

Partner institutions featuring on the day will include: the Vienna University Children’s Office which specialises in overcoming stereotyped notions in science with a special focus on social inclusion and those groups who are underrepresented in formal and informal education; the University of Bedfordshire, Department of Teacher Education, which is in the top 20 UK Initial Teacher Training Establishments and has expertise in the primary sector in the delivery of mathematics, science, literacy, and using IT to enhance pupil learning; and ProActivate Ireland, a Galway-based non-profit NGO that participates in European projects in the field of education, unemployment activation, youth, and language learning. Local initiatives, including Cell EXPLORERS, Atlantaquaria, and Dr How's Science Wows will also present their ideas during the day.

Registration is free but mandatory for this event. To register through Eventbrite and see a detailed schedule of the day visit https://inedueventgalway.eventbrite.ie or contact ProActivate Ireland directly at info@proactivate.ie or 091 566759.

Several slots have been reserved for participants interested in presenting or demonstrating their science-based initiative, including activities that can be used in the classroom. Registration to present or exhibit your own science initiative can also be done through the Eventbrite page.

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