CSIC hosts geology training for teachers in Melilla

The UNED Associated Center in Melilla hosted the course ‘Discovering the Earth: How to Teach Geology in Early Childhood and Primary Education’ this Monday. Organized by the ‘CSIC en la Escuela’ program of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the initiative aims to train teachers in geology to introduce scientific concepts to students at the earliest educational stages.

María José Gómez Díaz, coordinator of the program, emphasized that the training focuses on practical experimentation rather than descriptive memorization. The goal is to help teachers understand the laws of nature and how matter behaves, fostering critical thinking and curiosity in children. The program, which has collaborated with educators for over 35 years, integrates scientific knowledge with other disciplines such as history and mathematics.

José María López Sancho, an ad honorem research professor at the CSIC Institute of Fundamental Physics, noted that the pedagogical foundation of the program is the ‘emotion of discovery,’ aiming to inspire teachers through the historical context of scientific breakthroughs.