For long time optics’ scientists all around the world realised the importance to the development of optics of providing our school students a good effective education in optics. A large range of quality educational support materials was developed and is readily available. Fortunately this is also true in what concerns materials to be used in hands-on experiments based learning covering virtually all fields of optics and also intended or adapted for use at all school levels. Recent trends in educational policies are given science education an increasing importance within school’ curricula. Furthers efforts must be developed in order to increase the importance of optics in school syllabus and generalize it throughout all school levels, while guaranteeing a quality effective education. This demands a strong focus on an active investigative hands-on experiments based study of the different subjects of light and optics by the students at the classroom in formal context but also in different informal activities. In this process the role of the teacher is of crucial importance. Quite often, however, teachers are not adequately trained in this type of pedagogic approach and frequently feel the need of further training in these issues but also on the recent advances of optics and photonics. In other to tackle this need a number of different training courses for school teachers, from pre-school to highschool and vocational training schools, were designed and will be presented and discussed in this communication.

Date Published: 5 June 2009
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 9666, 11th Education and Training in Optics and Photonics Conference, 96660N (5 June 2009); doi: 10.1117/12.2207973

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9666:
11th Education and Training in Optics and Photonics Conference
K. Alan Shore, Editor(s)