Space and life - A training course for teachers of Biology, Earth Sciences and Chemistry
Authors: Colli Angela , De Rossi Edda , Gobbi Maria Grazia 
Published: March 2020

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;STEM education has become a priority in Europe and strategies have been developed &amp;#160;in different countries to improve teaching and learning and the uptake of studies and careers in STEM. A major obstacle is represented by outdated methods of science teaching in schools. Teachers need new methodologies and strategies to get their pupils passionate about STEM and to take charge of their learning styles.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Inquiry-based science education (IBSE) has succeeded as a suitable educational method that greatly motivates students. Practice of IBSE demands skills different from those of traditional science teaching. Teachers require training with an interdisciplinary approach and with research laboratories to answer scientific questions.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; Scientific Degrees Project (Progetto Lauree Scientifiche or&lt;strong&gt; PLS&lt;/strong&gt;) has been established in Italy from 2004 by the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) with the main objectives of students&amp;#8217; orientation towards scientific degrees and inservice teacher training activities. The Department of Biology and Biotechnology of Pavia University participates in this project. Experimental Biology Laboratory is the location where practical activities and laboratory stages are carried out for the training of students and of teachers in collaboration with ANISN (Italian Association Science Teachers). From 2016 every year ANISN section of Pavia organizes a training course with an interdisciplinary approach: this year's theme is &quot;&lt;strong&gt;Space and life&lt;/strong&gt;&quot;. The course starts with the questions: Can life be found in space, particularly in the solar system? What are the conditions? What is the role of the presence/absence of water? Can man bring life to space?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We will try to answer with presentations of educational activities, workshops, discussions, planning of educational paths that will be carried out in high schools of Pavia and its province. Three main activities are proposed: LIFE IN &quot;EXTREME&quot; ENVIRONMENTS, MICROORGANISMS IN &quot;EXTREME&quot; CONDITIONS: PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES, SPACE BEARS: CAN THEY SURVIVE ON THE MOON?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; Teachers, divided into groups, collect data relating to the growth of different microorganisms by varying the values of temperature, pH, quantity of oxygen and water activity. Then they discuss the role of the different factors and decide which living beings are best suited to live beyond.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Another laboratory is about tardigrades or water bears. They were travelling on an Israeli spacecraft that crash-landed on the moon in April 2019: could they survive?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;After the laboratories, teachers in groups design teaching units related to the topics proposed with the IBSE methodology: the course will end with the presentation of their works.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Esa, Space Bears Lab-experience with Tardigrade&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Trna, J., Trnova, E and Sibor, J. (2012). Implementation of Inquiry Based Science Education in Science Teacher Training. Journal of Educational and Instructional Studies, 2(4): 199-209.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Iglesias, M., Faury, M., Iuliani, E., Billon, N. and Gras-Velazquez, A. (2018). &amp;#8220;European STEM Schools Report: Key Elements and Criteria.&amp;#8221; European Schoolnet, Brussels.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;