Spreading the Science on Stage spirit in Iceland

The LÆRT Education Festival is a conference for teachers involved in teaching science and technology subjects with an emphasis on networking, sharing ideas and experiences, and professional development in the spirit of the Science on Stage Festival. The Festival took place in Borgarnes, a town in western Iceland about 80 km from the capital Reykjavik. 

A total of about one hundred teachers from all school levels gathered. Fourteen workshops were offered, numerous seminars were held, and 15 teachers displayed their projects at stands set up in the lobby of Menntaskóli Borgarfjarðar. 

The projects presented at the stands were able to participate in the preliminary competition for Science on Stage 2026 and four of them will be invited to attend Science on Stage in Klaipėda, Lithuania.

This was the first iteration of the LÆRT Education Festival and it was partly modelled after Science on Stage. The teachers were very happy about the opportunity to gather for a lively event that provided for plenty of space for teacher-teacher interactions and fostering a sense of community. Many teachers had been somewhat reluctant to bring projects for display, but voiced their willingness to bring something next time around, for LÆRT 2027. The spirt of Science on Stage is certainly spreading and fostering meaningful STEM teacher intereactions and professional development.

Report: Ásdís Ingólfsdóttir