Rita Tojeiro
University of St Andrews, UK

Abstract
There is now a solid body of evidence, throughout various educational systems, of the benefit of bringing contemporary research data into the science classroom. The arrival of large, accessible science datasets, citizen science, and specific teacher professional development programmes has further led to a movement in education whereby teachers are empowered through direct engagement with research. A critical question then comes, what is the role of universities in facilitating this shift? How can teacher-researcher collaborations not only bring contemporary science to the classroom, but also provide critical support to teachers?This is currently an under-developed area of research, but with potential to transform the relationships between academics and teachers.
I will give the example of the “Plates for Education” programme, which places plug plates from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey in Scottish and Portuguese schools, whilst providing teachers with the skills and knowledge to embed the plate in their practice. Alongside the professional development programme, a collaboration with colleagues in Psychology of Education began to understand the impact of the programme on the teachers, studying specifically identity, self-efficacy and wellbeing. I will discuss the motivation, progress and goal of the project, highlighting the extension of the programme to Portuguese schools, via a collaboration with the CAUP team.

2023 April 12, 13:30

IA/U.Porto
Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto (Auditorium)
Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762 Porto