Our development, the development of the European Union, demands a strong European citizenship, a solid awareness of our European culture defined and characterized by the diversity and richness of each one and all of our countries. School education is certainly of utmost importance in this process.
Transnational co-operation between schools and institutions involved in teacher education may have a major impact in enhancing the quality and reinforcing this European dimension. The Comenius 1 and 2 actions of EC’ program Socrates aim the promotion and establishment of mutually beneficial cooperation projects between EU’ schools.
Socrates/Comenius Contact Seminars are excellent opportunities for the establishment of such projects.
There are already a large number of examples of highly successful Comenius 1 and Comenius 2 established from these seminars, among which several promoted by the Hands-on Science Comenius 3 network towards the two Comenius Contact Seminars we organized as part of our previous annual conferences.
Science is fast increasingly gaining a major role and decisive impact and importance in the field of School Education in all field and levels.
Therefore inscribed in our 4th International Conference on "Hands-on Science. Building", we will organise a Comenius informal contact workshop “Building bridges. Towards an improved Science Education” follow up of Braga's meeting last year during HSCI2006.
As Coordinator of the Hands-on Science Network and Conference Chair it is my pleasure to invite and welcome you next July in Ponta Delgada, Azores.
Universidade do Minho, Portugal, January 21th, 2007.
Manuel Filipe Pereira da Cunha Martins Costa
Scholarships
In the frame of the new Lifelong Learning Program of the European Comission, particularly its Comenius action, there will be scholarships, to participate at the conference and at the Contact Seminar, available through your National Agency under the item "Preparatory Visits"or Comenius 2.2.C. Deadlines may vary depending on the country (in Portugal for instance the deadline is May 30).
Em Portugal, Professores ou Educadores podem contactar a Agência Nacional em http://alv.addition.pt/ (link directo para informações sobre o pedido de bolsa para participação no seminário ou na conferência: visitas preparatórias; Formulário: aqui; data limite de envio do pedido à Agência Nacional : 30 de Maio)