Outreach and Education

Science on Stage - A programme for European science teachers

The aim of Science on Stage is to highlight the best practice of teaching science in school. With support from the European Commission, this international festival brings together around 500 science educators from 29 European countries to show how fascinating and entertaining science can be.

Beginning in the year 2000 with Physics on Stage held at CERN, it then took place in different locations every two years. Physics on Stage was very soon extended to other science disciplines and thus became Science on Stage.

At the Science on Stage festival, teachers have the chance to view things from a new perspective, to be entertained and enchanted by science. They can set up individual stalls in fair-like surroundings to share their most successful teaching tricks.

Workshops on various themes give the attendees - teachers and other science educators - the opportunity to discuss and come up with solutions to the problem of growing interest for science in Europe.

A key element of the Science on Stage concept is to give teachers an up-to-date 'insider's view' of what is happening in big science, to tell them about new, highly diverse and interesting career opportunities for their pupils, and to create a European atmosphere where bright young people can meet and interact.

The key objectives of Science on Stage are:

• Draw attention to the low level of scientific literacy among European citizens
• Propose innovative and practical solutions to this problem
• Establish a network of experts on science teaching and popularisation from all over Europe
• Produce and distribute materials that highlight the opinions and recommendations of these experts

The last international event, Science on Stage 2, was held in Grenoble on 2-6 April 2007. It was the fifth edition of the event supported by both the EIROforum partners and the European Commission. It was part of the NUCLEUS programme, funded under FP6, which gathers various initiatives involved with science and society issues. Although the ESTI contract came to its end, the Science in School magazine is continuing with an on-line version and Science on Stage events are now implemented at a national level by the National Steering Committees.