Talk

Astronomy To Reduce School Segregation: Lessons Learned From Participation On The Magnet Program

Talk
Astronomy Education in Practice
5th Shaw-IAU Workshop
Wednesday Nov. 29, 2023
UTC: 3:50 p.m. - 4:05 p.m.
Thursday Nov. 30, 2023
UTC: 8:20 a.m. - 8:35 a.m.

School segregation is a growing problem throughout Europe that tends to create schools with a very high socioeconomic complexity. We present our experience within the Magnet program, where the Institute of Space Sciences collaborates in the 2021-2025 period with a school in Igualada (Spain). Advised by an expert in didactics, we have co-created with teachers and implemented inquiry-based astronomy activities for 3 to 11 year old students. The goal is to provide the school with added pedagogical and educational value, which can attract local families, in order to balance the demographics of the student body and promote inclusion in current and future society. In this talk, we will present the activities organized during the first half of the program, plans for the future and lessons learnt.

About Jorge Rivero González

Jorge Rivero González is the Head of the Communication & Outreach Office of the Institute of Space Sciences (Spain). He was the IAU 100th anniversary Celebrations (IAU100) Global Coordinator and was part of the global organisation of the UN International Year of Light 2015 and the UNESCO International Day of Light. From 2009, he has been a member of the outreach initiative GalileoMobile. He holds a PhD in Astrophysics from the Ludwig Maximilians University (Germany) and a postgraduate degree in Science Journalism and Communication from the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (Spain). His work for IAU100 received the 2020 Dutch Research Council (NWO) Communication Award for its reach and international impact in promoting astronomy.