ASTRO-EDU Erasmus+

Empowering Teachers as STEAM Communicators in Astronomy Education

ASTRO-EDU is a European Erasmus+ project aimed at strengthening astronomy education by empowering teachers as effective STEAM communicators. The project supports primary and secondary school educators in developing stronger astronomy content knowledge, pedagogical skills, and digital competencies. Funded under the Erasmus+ KA220-SCH programme, the project started in October 2025 and will run for three years. Its main goal is to promote interdisciplinary learning through astronomy by supporting teachers in the use of inquiry-based educational approaches and digital tools.

The project brings together a consortium of educational institutions and research organisations from Türkiye (project coordinator), Italy, Portugal, Malta, Greece, and Croatia, with associated partners from Morocco and Lebanon. The Slovenian NAEC also contributes to the initiative, building on previous Mediterranean collaborations in astronomy education. Within the project, partners work together to co-design educational resources and training activities that integrate astronomy with broader STEAM disciplines. These resources are intended to support teachers in engaging students with scientific inquiry, data analysis, and interdisciplinary problem-solving.

The IAU Office of Astronomy for Education Center Italy contributes to the project through its expertise in inquiry-based learning and international collaboration in astronomy education. During the initial phase of the project, I-OAE coordinated the first co-design activities, with the development of eight inquiry-based learning resources targeting different school levels, representing the first step toward the project’s shared educational outputs.