TASTE- Teaching Astronomy at Educational Level

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) play an important role in modern society and are vital to building the sustainable society of the future. However, STEM curricula do not seem very appealing to a large group of students.

The trans-European project “TASTE – Teaching Astronomy at Educational Level”, in which NOESIS participates, proposes to use the field of Astronomy, as a possible starting point for a more effective education in Natural Sciences and as a “gateway” for other STEM fields. In addition, recognizing that Planetariums have a long history of supporting interest in Astronomy, he sees the role they can play in this direction as particularly critical.
TASTE aims to inspire Planetariums to optimize the teaching and learning experiences they offer, while at the same time attempting to assess the impact of school visits on students’ understanding.

The project is led by Liceo Scientifico Statale A. Tassoni, participating organizations are Institutes and Schools of Secondary Education from Italy, Germany, Belgium and Greece and the target audience is students aged 14-18 and their teachers .
In the framework of the project, through the cooperation of the Planetariums and the Schools, teaching and learning material will be designed, tested and exchanged, which starting from the basic concepts of “space” and “time” will support the better understanding of students in Astronomy concepts and topics. In addition, methodologies will be used to assess the learning outcomes that students will potentially gain from their visits to the Planetariums.
The project lasts 36 months (9/2020 – 9/2023) and is funded by the EU and in particular by the Erasmus + program, KA201 – Strategic Partnerships in the Field of School Education.
The participating institutes and schools of Secondary Education are:
– Experimental Center for Didatticadell’Astronomia, Italy
– KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN, Belgium
– NOESIS, Greece
– KONINKLIJKE STERRENWACHT VAN BELGIE, Belgium
– MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV, Germany
– 1st Experimental Junior High School of Thessaloniki, Greece
– SchoolbestuurSInt-Paulus vzw, Belgium
– Max-Born-Gymnasium Neckargemuend, Germany