About
The Problem
There are very few countries in which astronomy is taught as a compulsory course, while in some countries, there is not an astronomy course in the curriculum at all.
The most
common case, is that there is a unit of astronomy at grade level 5–9 (age 10–14), which deals with basic topics such as day
and night, seasons, moon phases, planetary orbits, and some descriptive material about the planets and stars.
AstronoMine aims to identify the gap in astronomy courses in EU countries and improve this situation by covering this gap through innovative training materials.
The Idea
It is agreed that the study of astronomy contributes to technology, economy and society by constantly pushing
for instruments, processes and software important in that field. Some examples include new fossil fuels which offer the
possibility of new renewable energy sources, inventions that can be utilized for medical purposes,
image sensors and more.
Through AstronoMine, a science which is rather important in developing STEM skills will be introduced. The project will
capitalize on astronomy which is a topic with high involvement from young students and it will help them develop the necessary
skills for contributing to the development of key competences, important in the EU.
The Objective
AstronoMine's main objective is the promotion of astronomy in schools through game-based learning, improve the quality of education in the fields of STEM and enhance teachers' digital skills.
The project will produce 2 concrete results:
- The Teachers' Manual : A comprehensive Manual that will help teachers introduce the topic of astronomy in their classrooms.
- AstronoMine World in Minecraft : A dedicated Minecraft world
that will introduce many topics of astronomy to students.