NUCLIO

NUCLIO is a non-profit association and an NGO for development created in 2001 that focuses on the implementation of innovation in education.  NUCLIO team is composed of a group of science professionals, teachers, and researchers as well as educators devoted to innovation in education, science education, psychology of education and science outreach.  The work done by the team includes the promotion of active research as a tool for STEAM learning, the adoption of Interdisciplinary and Inquiry learning approaches, the adaptation of the Design Thinking method to the school environment and the privilege of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles.  NUCLIO is an official training center recognized by the Portuguese Ministry of Education.  NUCLIO’s vision is to train and support educators and students on the use of new technologies and innovative and inclusive student-centered methodologies. NUCLIO has a wide experience in integrating real and contemporary research opportunities in classroom where students are introduced to the scientific method, using for example virtual labs, robotic telescopes, data mining, and other advanced tools for science learning.  To achieve this vision NUCLIO produces resources, trains, and supports educators and provides online and onsite support for the implementation of innovative models for teaching and learning.

NUCLIO has been involved in several International and national projects as coordinator and as national representative for Portugal. More recently NUCLIO coordinated two projects related to innovative practices for student-centered learning, combining interdisciplinarity with Inquiry -Based Learning and adopting the Design Thinking methodology to the educational scenario. Namely in the Islands Diversity for Science Education, students developed projects with the involvement of the community, related to global environmental problems, bringing awareness and mitigation to the problems. Since 2010 NUCLIO has been coordinating the Dark Skies Rangers, a citizen science project that brings awareness for light pollution and its effects on human health and impact on wildlife. Through this initiative, over 1000 students have designed projects to bring awareness to their communities and municipalities in relation to the environmental, health and economic impacts of light pollution.

NUCLIO also leads several international community building efforts, with the mission to support teachers in the uptake of innovative approaches for teaching and learning and the use of a more student-centered approaches. Namely, NUCLIO coordinates one of the largest astronomy education efforts in the world, the Galileo Teacher Training Program, a legacy of International Year of Astronomy 2009 endorsed by the International Astronomical Union and UNESCO. Since 2009, the program reached over 100 nations and 50 000 teachers. In the framework of this project NUCLIO has initiated, with the support of IAU and other sponsors, an award scheme for teacher training initiatives around the globe. Over 60 countries received grants to support the organization of training events following a specific criterion that demanded the inclusion of innovative practices, in particular the inclusion of student centred methodologies and the use of digital tools and resources whenever possible. This initiative privileged developing countries and schools from socially challenging locations.

NUCLIO is also the coordinator of the Portuguese Language Expertise Centre for the International Astronomical Union where, among other roles, has the responsibility of bringing innovation and capacity building to Portuguese speaking nations and communities across the world.

NUCLIO focuses its training efforts toward bringing a more universal and inclusive approach to education by enabling educators to include in their teaching practices components of gender balance, equity, cultural and social understanding.

Since 2017 NUCLIO has launched an initiative called “Escolas Digitais” (Digital Schools) in Portugal. This was a legacy of the institution’s participation in the Digital Schools of Europe, Erasmus Plus project. NUCLIO as the national coordinator for the project in Portugal has pilot tested its methodology in 100 schools in the country. Within the project Reflecting for Change this effort was revived and further enhanced to support the digital innovation of schools. The main focus was not only to improve the competence profile of educators and learners but as a mean to engage the whole school and local community in the process.

NUCLIO will coordinate the community building and support (WP5) and will act as National Coordinator of the rural school community in Portugal and will sign bilateral agreements with the projects that will receive funding through the call for proposals (to be involved in WP2, WP3, WP4, WP5, WP6 and WP7).