Motivation Hub for teachers 

The National Science on Stage Festival - in Bavaria for the first time! - is an education fair where teachers, students, scientists and practitioners exchange ideas and get new inspiration in workshops and short lectures about successful teaching concepts, innovative and creative ideas. In this way, teachers will be able to get their students excited about mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology. The festival is also the starting point for a variety of follow-up activities: The projects presented there are disseminated by Science on Stage through teaching materials and further training, among other things, and thus reach pupils - in the region, in Germany and throughout Europe.

The event is aimed at both active and prospective STEM teachers for primary and secondary levels of all school types. And the good thing is that the event comes at little cost to participants, as Science on Stage covers hotel and meals on site and also offers travel reimbursement. STEM teachers who qualify for the festival also have the chance to present their project at the European Festival in Finland in 2024. 

Anyone who has implemented or would like to implement a project based on the learning approach or would like to do so. These are the thematic fields:

• STEM for the youngest: projects to promote STEM education in primary school.
• STEM education for sustainable development: projects that show how STEM contributes to achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
• Digital technologies in STEM education: projects on programming, digital education, ICT, Big Data, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, etc.
• Diversity in STEM education: Projects that reflect the heterogeneity and diversity of our society. For example, innovative teaching methods that show how to engage students with different learning levels or cater to different cultural backgrounds so that all children have access to the learning material.
• Low-cost experiments in STEM education: projects that are inexpensive to implement.
• Cross-curricular teaching: projects that combine STEM with other subjects such as history, geography, music, art or sport.
• STEM team in the classroom: Projects that are developed jointly by teachers who have met at a past Science on Stage event (e.g. festival, webinar, in-service training, network meeting, project).
• STEM in teacher training courses: Projects that are developed during teacher training or teacher traineeship.

The projects are presented either at the Science on Stage Fair or Stage. The fair is the central element of the festival: Here, all participants present their teaching concepts and experiments at stands. Optionally, (prospective) teachers can also present their project at the festival in a 5-minute short presentation to all participants in the plenary. On Saturday (30.09.) the Open Day will take place. This day is primarily aimed at student teachers and teaching staff, but also at all other interested persons. On this day, visitors can visit the exhibition stands, exchange ideas with the teachers behind the projects, take part in short lectures and attend some workshops. 

The importance of such a festival is made clear by University President Prof. Dr. Stefan Leible: "Only those who are already enthusiastic about technology and the natural sciences, computer science, biotechnology, maths, chemistry or physics at school can later imagine working in these fields. That's why we need teachers who are passionate about the STEM subjects themselves. At the University of Bayreuth - where research and teaching is done at the highest level in the natural sciences and engineering - we are committed to igniting this fire in student teachers."

The University of Bayreuth, for example, offers the elite programme "MINT Lehramt PLUS", which supports particularly talented and capable students in the subjects of biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics and physics for the teaching profession at grammar schools. At the TAO Pupil Research Centre Upper Franconia, pupils in Bayreuth are offered a variety of opportunities (workshop, participation in international competitions) with the intensive involvement of student teachers of STEM subjects in order to increase their interest in STEM subjects. In the "Pupil Studies" programme, pupils can attend university courses before they leave school and thus collect points for later study. 

The Bavarian metal and electrical employers bayme vbm and the vbw - Vereinigung der Bayerischen Wirtschaft e. V. are the main sponsors of the festival. In addition, "think ING.", the initiative for young engineers of the GESAMTMETALL employers' association, supports the festival.

About Science on Stage Deutschland e.V.

Science on Stage offers Europe's largest teachers' festival, workshops and in-service training for science teachers to present their best teaching projects together and to learn from each other. The initiative has existed since 2003 and reaches 100,000 teachers in over 35 countries from primary school to high school. Science on Stage Deutschland e.V. is significantly supported by think ING. the initiative for young engineers of the GESAMTMETALL employers' association.

Contact: 
Marika Philippsen
Press and Public Relations Science on Stage Deutschland e.V. (SonSD)
Am Borsigturm 15 - 13507 Berlin
Tel.: +49  (0) 30 400067-42
Mail: m.philippsen@science-on-stage.de
www.science-on-stage.de
www.facebook.com/scienceonstagedeutschland