Training Teachers to Use Remote Sensing: T he YCHANGE Project

Abstract

Many people use satellite images in the ir professional and everyday lives, and school curricula often require their use.
Yet, the ways teachers actually use satellite images in the classroom is often limited, if they use them at all. The
YCHANGE project trained teachers to use remote sensing da ta by themselves and to use it in their classrooms. The
project partners created a remote sensing curriculum which suggests how teachers can develop their students’ skills in
this area of geography. This curriculum is based on existing research and school curricula. The project partners created
and published sample learning units, and the project webpage also offered the possibility for teachers to publish student
created projects. YCHANGE training event participants in Switzerland and Germany filled out an online survey. Most
participants said they improved their ability to read satellite images and use them in the classroom. However,
participants’ evaluation of the YCHANGE materials and training events was mixed. The study shows some differences
among the Swiss language regions, and significant differences between Germany and Switzerland. For example, our
training events introduced the participants to the web application BLIF. On average, the German participants liked BLIF,
but the participants in Switzerla nd rated BLIF significantly worse. We therefore recommend that future research
compare remote sensing, as well as other areas of geography education, among different countries and language
regions