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On 19th July 2010, 27 teachers attended the first Space Academy/ UK-ESERO teacher INSET day held at the National Space Centre; aimed at those teachers who were teaching Physics as Non-Specialists, the session included a host of hands-on activities focused on the KS3 and GCSE curriculum in which space was used as a context for teaching topics as diverse as the electromagnetic spectrum, gravity, forces and states of matter. Attendees picked up a wealth of resources from the European Space Agency as well as nearly a gigabyte of digital activities. Attendance was also eligible for full bursary funding through the Space Academy’s partnership with the Science Learning Centre East Midlands. Outstanding evaluations were received and teacher comments included:

• "Great experiment and demonstration ideas"
• "A fabulous day - I gained lots of knowledge and ideas for physics"
• Definitely increased my knowledge and understanding of key physics topics"
• "These are things that I really can take back to the classroom"
• "Loads of practical ideas and links to make science more 'real' to students"

2010-11 Teacher INSETS - space science and the curriculum

The Space Academy shall be holding further INSETS during this academic year on the following dates:

• Monday 18 October - APPLIED SCIENCE
• Thursday 4 Novermber - BIOLOGY
• Tuesday 14 December - CHEMISTRY
• Wednesday 15 December - PHYSICS
• Tuesday 17 February - APPLIED SCIENCE
• Tuesday 3 March - BIOLOGY
• Thursday 10 March - CHEMISTRY
• Tuesday 5 April - PHYSICS
• Friday 1 July - BIOLOGY
• Tuesday 5 July - CHEMISTRY
• Wednesday 13 July - PHYSICS
• Thursday 14 July - APPLIED SCIENCE

All INSETS are led by the Space Academy’s Lead Educators – current full-time outstanding science teachers seconded to the project for 20 days per year. These sessions are aimed at Non-Specialists teaching Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Applied Science but would be suitable for subject specialists too. Attendees will receive extensive resources from the European Space Agency and post-INSET bursaries are available to cover supply teacher/school release costs.

For further details or to book a place, please visit the Space Centre's Teacher Programmes website or contact Dr Sarah Hill, Space Academy Project Manager (sarahh@spacecentre.co.uk).