Learning

Putting our Public Purposes into action: Promoting education and learning

What does this mean?

Offering audiences opportunities to continue learning throughout their lives is a key part of the BBC’s mission. Through our output, we aim to help people to learn in entertaining and innovative ways. That means includes providing a range of services to aid specific skills development – from helping students get to grips with their revision through BBC Bitesize, to supporting adults who want to develop their foreign language skills through BBC Languages.

In addition, we run issue-focused leaning campaigns. These expand the educational potential of our broadcast, often taking presenters out to meet audiences to open out the themes treated on air.

How do we do it?

Thousands of people braved the cold conditions in January to enjoy a sparkling BBC Stargazing LIVE experience at selected BBC Big Screen sites across the UK.

It may have been daytime at our events, but on the BBC Big Screens there was a rare opportunity to see deep space images live from the Faulkes Telescope, Hawaii, with expert commentary from Dr Paul Roche and Fran Scott. Audiences had a real appetite for building knowledge and discovering more about the mystery and the majesty of the stars.

BBC Stargazing LIVE guides were distributed at the events and people had an opportunity to look at the latest apps available on tablet devices. People could identify the stars overhead using pictures beamed live onto the Big Screens,while an interactive Big Screen application answered many burning questions.

The Big Screen was amazing and the way the BBC interacted with it and the public was fantastic.
A member of the public at the event in Derry

Find out more about upcoming Big Screens activity at bbc.co.uk/bigscreens