Science Fiction in the Classroom at FEDCON

Star Trek-Chronik: Die NX-01

13. February 2020

FedCon 29 | Vortrag | Damals bei Stargate Atlantis | by Robert Vogel

Back at Stargate Atlantis

15. February 2020

Published by Robert Eiba at 14. February 2020

FedCon 29 | Vortrag | Science Fiction im Unterricht | by Christian Goos & Ulrich Vaorin

Does science fiction actually have something to do with education? Is it possible to work with Star Trek in class? And shouldn’t the classics of SF literature also have their place in educational work?

Ulrich Vaorin and Christian Goos have developed and published teaching material for the first time, which offers various possibilities for pupils of grades 8-13 to get to know different utopian worlds. Their conclusion is that science fiction stories offer an excellent opportunity to open up to the adolescents’ questions about meaning, hope, fear and orientation and to trace philosophical, ethical and religious phenomena in everyday life. Not only have episodes from the various series of the Star Trek universe been included, but also other series and films relevant to science fiction fans such as Star Wars, Arrival, The Hunger Games, Real Humans and Battlestar Galactica. SF literary classics such as Isaac Asimov, Ted Chiang, Stanislaw Lem and others also play an important role in these materials.

Under the motto Science Fiction in the Classroom, the authors present their work at the FedCon 29 and give suggestions for lesson planning, youth and educational work.

Lecturer: Christian Goos, Ulrich Vaorin

Duration: 60 min - The Lecture will be held in: german

Christian Goos is a teacher of German and religious education at a grammar school in the Sauerland. In his childhood he grew up with Captain Picard and discovered his love for Star Trek and science fiction in general. He would like to convey this love to his students during lessons and project weeks and open up new approaches to the subject matter for them. He has published his experiences in the teaching aid "Science-Fiction im Religionsunterricht - Materialien zu Film und Literatur für Klasse 9-13" together with Ulrich Vaorin and Michael Landgraf.

Ulrich Vaorin is a qualified pedagogue, media tutor and media consultant and heads a church media centre. He is involved in educational work in the field of media pedagogy and has published working aids, e.g. for film use in schools. He also likes to consider popular (SF) series and films. He gained his first experience with science fiction at a young age with Star Trek: The Original Series. Together with Christian Goos and Michael Landgraf he publishes the work aid "Science-Fiction im Religionsunterricht - Materialien zu Film und Literatur für Klasse 9-13".