Innovation-based student enterprise to enhance innovation in teacher education
The EU project “SPACE” is a Strategic Partnership which recently had its kick-off meeting at the Dundalk Institute of Technology (Ireland). Plans were made for the realization of an ambitious 3-year plan to form an innovation-based student enterprise which will enhance innovation in teacher education. This will be achieved by introducing pre-service teachers to the Write a Science Opera (WASO) method of inter-disciplinary teaching and other approaches to STEAM (Science/Technology/Engineering/Arts/Math). The scientific focus of the SPACE project will be the European Space Agency’s research and technology as humanity moves forward towards a permanent base on the Moon. The next step will be to gather together in Lier, Belgium in November for a week-long Intensive Program (IP) about various STEAM approaches with teachers and students from 5 countries (Norway, Portugal, Belgium, Holland and Ireland). Stord/Haugesund University College will be represented by 5 music education students, Assistant Professors Jonas S. Olsen and Frode Hammersland, and Associate Professor Oded Ben-Horin. Following this, in the Spring of 2017, the partners will convene at the European Space Agency’s Technology Center (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, Holland to meet with ESA officials and plan the project’s implementation with pre-service teachers in the various countries and the authoring of a WASO book. The first preliminary implementation has already started at Kinsarvik School (Norway) in collaboration with Bergen National Opera. At Kinsarvik, pupils in the 5th, 6th, and 7th grades are creating a science opera inspired by Black Holes which they will perform at the opening of the Hardanger Music Festival on May 31st, 2017.
Project coordinator: AP College (Belgium)