  Einsteinian physics represents a distinct paradigm shift compared to
Newtonian physics. There is worldwide interest in introducing Einsteinian
physics concepts early in school curriculum and trials have demonstrated that
this is feasible. However introducing Einsteinian concepts from an early age
requires more than suitable curriculum and teaching resources - it also
requires teacher training and public support. This paper describes a pilot
study used in an attempt to gauge public and teacher support. This entailed
giving teachers, who included the entire staff of a primary school, and
self-selected family groups an in-depth understanding of proposed curriculum
content through public outreach and professional development workshops. We
assessed their attitudes through questionnaires. Comments and opinions from the
public were also collected from online resources. Results show overwhelming
support from both teachers and the public. We assessed attitudes of children as
well as adults and obtained opinions regarding the appropriate age at which to
begin to introduce Einsteinian concepts.
