Date: 20-24 July 2026 (25 July optional)
Venue: IACTEC- San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
Hybrid Course (in-person and online)
Welcome to the AEACI 2026!
We invite you to participate in the 11th edition of the International School Astronomy Education Adventure in the Canary Islands, which this year is held in the framework of the Erasmus+ project Astro-Journeys.
This edition of the school is structured around the Big Ideas in Astronomy, offering participants an integrated view of the Universe, from the Solar System to galaxies and large-scale cosmic structures. The course emphasizes how these fundamental ideas can be explored and connected across different scientific disciplines.
The school follows a hands-on and inquiry based learning approach, combining short theoretical inputs with practical sessions, workshops and collaborative activities. Participants will engage directly with astronomical data, tools and educational resources, experiencing astronomy as an active process of exploration that can be transferred to the classroom.
The school will be held from July 20 to 24, 2026 in a hybrid format, combining face-to-face activities (in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands) and online participation. This allows educators from all over the world to enjoy the AEACI experience in a flexible and sustainable way.
Who Can Apply
Who can apply?
Teachers of all grade levels and subject domains, as well as informal educators, are invited to attend the school and dive into a real STEAM experience.
About the School
General Information
- Dates: July 20-24, 2026 (25 July optional)
- Duration: 32 certifiable hours
- Modality: hybrid (in-person and online)
- Language: English
- Venue: “Sala Multipropósito” of IACTEC, San Cristóbal de La Laguna (Tenerife, Spain)
Topics and lecturers
The programme combines lectures by experts from the IAC and other collaborating institutions with hands-on workshops designed to actively engage participants in the exploration of astronomy as a scientific and educational process.
Through practical activities, participants will work with professional robotic telescopes, astronomical images and real scientific data, learning how to integrate these resources into student research projects and inquiry-based classroom activities.
In line with the Astro-Journeys framework, the school places special emphasis on the Big Ideas in Astronomy, encouraging participants to explore how fundamental astronomical concepts connect different areas of science and can be approached through interdisciplinary and project-based learning.
The school also includes training visits, both face-to-face and virtual, to the IAC facilities and to the Observatories of the Canary Islands, offering participants first-hand insight into professional astronomical research environments.
Objectives
- To offer an innovative, hands-on and interdisciplinary learning experience for teachers based on the Big Ideas of Astronomy.
- To explore the curriculum through research-based activities supported by an AI-assisted interactive learning platform.
- To support teachers’ professional development in inquiry-, project- and problem-based learning, enabling them to design interdisciplinary and inclusive learning experiences using astronomy as a connecting theme.
- To enable participants to follow personalized learning journeys through the AI platform, while strengthening their digital, green and socio-emotional competences.
Timetable
- Morning programme: It comprises 5 sessions of 3.5 hours + 30’ coffee breaks + 15’ Warm-ups
- Afternoon programme: It will include 4 sessions of 2 hours + 15’ Warm-ups , and a training visit to the Teide Observatory (Tenerife).
On-site participants will be able to sign up for an optional visit to the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the neighbouring island of La Palma, which will take place on July 25.
School programme will be available soon.
Attending the School
Registration
Registration will be open until June 30 (or until full capacity is reached) and places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to teachers working in public schools.
We will admit up to 40 on-site attendees and 200 online attendees.
Fees & Funding
The school is partially funded by the Communication and Outreach Unit of the IAC.
Participation in the course can be funded by the ERASMUS+ Programme, for teachers with KA1 grants.
Attendance to the school requires a registration fee for accepted face-to-face participants that covers:
- Morning coffee during lecture days.
- Lunch at the school venue.
- Visit to the Teide Observatory (Tenerife) including transportation, guided visit, activities and dinner.
- School materials.
- Tuition fee for lectures, workshops and visits.
The registration fee is:
- 100 € for on-site participants from Spain (fee partially funded by the IAC).
- 400 € for on-site participants from outside Spain.
- 10 € for online participants. This symbolic fee will go entirely to the NUCLIO Trust programme to help students from developing countries to pursue university studies.
Payment instructions will be sent to applicants once the registration form has been completed and their participation has been accepted.
A limited number of grants may be awarded by the IAC to cover part of the costs of participants who do not have sources of funding. Applicants who require grants may indicate this on the payment form, once they have registered.
Participants who are awarded a grant will be informed by July 8.
Deadline for the payment is July 10.
We are also planning an optional visit to the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in the beautiful island of La Palma, on Saturday July 25, with an estimated additional cost of 100 € for Canarian residents and 200 € for non-residents. This trip will take place if it gathers the interest of a minimum amount of people (15), a requirement that has been met in all previous editions of the school. The trip includes the return flight between Tenerife and La Palma, bus transfers on La Palma, a visit to the Roque de Los Muchachos Visitor Centre, lunch and a guided tour of several telescopes. It is a full day trip and we do not expect to be back in Tenerife before approximately 20:30h.
School Venue & Local Information
The school will be held in the Sala Multipropósito of the IACTEC building, in San Cristóbal de La Laguna (Tenerife, Spain).
Organisers
The school is organised by the IAC and is held in 2026 within the framework of the Erasmus+ project Astro-Journeys, together with its European partner institutions, NUCLIO, CY Cergy Paris Université, Ellinogermaniki Agogi, Haus der Astronomie, F-HOU – L’univers A Portee De Main, FTP-Europlanet, Lake Alqueva Observatory (OLA) and Portuguese Astronomical Society (SPA), and in collaboration with the Faulkes Telescope Project, The Schools’ Observatory and the CESAR initiative (ESA-INTA-ISDEFE), in partnership with the European School Innovation Academy (ESIA).
Organising Committee
- Nayra Rodríguez Eugenio (Chair, IAC)
- Alejandra Goded Merino (IAC)
- Iván Jiménez Montalvo (IAC)
Technical Secretariat
- Ana Costa (NUCLIO)
- Laura Peña (IAC)
Contact