GTTP – Galileo Teacher Training Program – Worldwide teacher training program coordinated by NUCLIO
The International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) was an excellent opportunity to engage the communities in the excitement of scientific discoveries. For school communities it was an opportunity to improve science teaching methodologies in the classroom.
An incredibly rich store of useful astronomy resources was already available for such an effort, much of it in digital form and freely available on the internet. However, experienced educators and outreach specialists identified a critical impediment: many teachers lacked the training to understand these resources or use them effectively in their curricula.
To address this problem and to sustain the legacy of IYA2009, the International Astronomical Union – in collaboration with the National Nodes and leaders in the field such as the Global Hands-On Universe project, the US National Optical Astronomy Observatory and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific – embarked on a unique global effort to empower teachers by developing the Galileo Teacher Training Program (GTTP).
But the Galileo Teacher Training Program (GTTP) went further, creating a worldwide network of Galileo Ambassadors (GA) and Galileo Teachers (GT) that that remained after 2009. A network where participants can find new suggestions and support for deeper learning of the resources, and that encourages collaboration among peers and provides support in the implementation of projects.
These Ambassadors train Teachers in the effective use and transfer of astronomy education tools and resources into classroom science curricula. The Galileo Teachers use these resources, leveraging the work begun during IYA2009 in classrooms everywhere. Through workshops, online training tools and basic education kits, the products and techniques developed by this programme can be adapted to reach locations with few resources of their own, as well as computer-connected areas that can take advantage of access to robotic optical and radio telescopes, webcams, astronomy exercises, cross-disciplinary resources, image processing and digital universes (web and desktop planetariums).
Each participating country has a promoter, who guarantees the GAs and GTs the necessary support to carry out this effort.
Since 2009, the GTTP has trained more than 70,000 teachers in more than 120 countries.
NUCLIO coordinates the Galileo Teacher Training Program worldwide.
More information on the GTTP website:
http://galileoteachers.org/