Science Fiction in the Classroom

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.