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Short Abstract

If the work done in OTTERS has taught us something is that the path towards inovation in education must always be done with the educators and not just for them. Participatory workshops gave us insights into the path towards integrating Citizen Science in formal education, which we aim to share.

Abstract

During the EU funded OTTERS project [https://otters-eu.aua.am], several participatory workshops were organized with teachers of different subjects Throuth these, we discovered that most teachers were either not aware of the term CS or had misconceptions about it, with only 30% relating it somehow to the participation of citizens in the scientific process. From these workshops, a roadmap to integrate citizen science in formal education was developed and tested with over 160 teachers and 2800 students from the different countries. The process included organizing professional development opportunities for teachers, promoting the establishment of partnerships with local organizations and supporting the implementation of CS with the students. A policy brief offering policy recommendations was created, including guidance on how to design professional development opportunities that empower educators and pave the way to the integration of Citizen Science in the schools' curricula. This process has taught us a lot about the perceptions of teachers and their needs, when it comes to working with citizen science. Joining these with the prior experience of NUCLIO as an accredited teacher training center in Portugal, we would like to participate in this workshops to contribute to the discussion and learn from it and continue paving the way to a better education throught citizen science.