UNAWE supports GalileoMobile in India

GalileoMobile, in collaboration with Universe Awareness (UNAWE) completed a travelling educational astronomy project in India between the rural areas of Bangalore and Mysore, from 2-13 July 2012. During the project, the team visited 12 schools, bringing astronomy to about 1,400 students, 100 teachers and 2,100 local people.
During the expedition, students and staff from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) and the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium in Bangalore accompanied the six GalileoMobile team members. “Travelling with local contacts enriched the teams’ knowledge of the local cultures and traditions,” says María Dasí Espuig, a member of the GalileoMobile team. “In particular, the team was impressed by the numerous stories that the local people have about the stars, which are only transferred orally from one generation to next.”
In addition to running activities for children, this is the first GalileoMobile expedition to involve teacher training sessions. At the beginning of each school visit, the team explained how to use the donated materials. During the session with students, GalileoMobile encouraged the teachers to run the activities, with the GalileoMobile team only providing support. The aim of this approach is to ensure that the teachers have the confidence to run the activities and ...