LIGHT is not only a central topic in the study of physical and astrophysical sciences but is, first and foremost, a heritage of humanity: the use, study, and production of this vital resource have, over the centuries, allowed us to overcome geographical, generational, and cultural boundaries among people, bringing many young people closer to science and innovation. With this motivation, the United Nations proclaimed 2015 the International Year of Light.
In this perspective, astronomy, an observational science based on the analysis of information carried by electromagnetic waves from all parts of the Universe, offers a unique opportunity to develop educational paths that, starting from understanding what light actually is, help students transition from the concept of “visible” to that of “observable.”
In line with the UN’s guidelines aimed at enhancing the scientific and cultural significance of light, INAF-OAC has decided to bring “A new LIGHT in the schools of Sardinia“: an educational project aimed at middle school students to tell and relive with them the challenges of great scientists, like Newton and Einstein, who investigated the mysteries of light and its applications, to lead them on a very current “observational” journey that will go beyond the boundaries of “visible light,” exploring the cosmos through the Sardinia Radio Telescope to the edges of the Universe.
The method used will be playful and experiential. The idea of bringing a “new LIGHT” to schools refers not only to scientific content but, also and above all, to the innovation of the teaching methodologies used. INAF-OAC intends to draw on the experience gained in the innovative teaching project “The Port and the Star,” which it participated in during the 2013-2014 school year, to conduct a learning experience that involves the student’s entire personality: reason, imagination, and emotions, the ability to observe and doubt, ask questions, and imagine possible answers.
The techniques used during the project are therefore those of storytelling, play, and direct experience to allow all children a playful and emotional approach to scientific disciplines.
INFO: to learn more, visit the project’s web page
The project “A new LIGHT in the schools of Sardinia,” promoted by INAF-OAC, designed and implemented in collaboration with the Cultural Association Laboratorio Scienza and the Social Cooperative Society No Obstacles to Learning (NOA), is supported by the financial contribution of the FONDAZIONE BANCO DI SARDEGNA.