iStarDB (The Astronomy Education Research Repository)
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Photographs and Classroom Response Systems in Middle School Astronomy Classes
No full textIn spite of being readily available, photographs have played a minor and passive role in science classes. In our study, we present an active way of using photographs in classroom discussions with the use of a classroom response system (CRS) in middle school astronomy classes to teach the concepts of day–night and seasonal change. In this new pedagogical method, students observe objects or phenomena in photographs and use the information to develop understanding of the scientific concepts. They share their ideas in classroom discussion with the assistance of the CRS. Pre- and posttest results showed that the new pedagogy helped students overcome primitive conceptions and enhanced their understanding of the concepts. The observation of the rich details of photographs played three pedagogical roles in classroom discussion: easing students’ anxiety about learning a new scientific concept; continuous stimulus of learning; and as evidence or data
Teaching Astronomy - Using Hybrid Textbooks To Combat Academic E-Cheating
No full textTo accommodate today`s higher education student, fewer textbooks are printed and more are becoming digital. Keeping with the modern era, hybrid versions of textbooks have all end-of-chapter assessment content moved to digital learning systems such as MindTap by Cengage . In this work, we introduce new pedagogical strategies to combat academic e-cheating, specifically cheating on assessments given in online astronomy courses. The strategies we present in this work are employed in Horizons: Exploring the Universe, Hybrid, 13th Edition, and Universe, Hybrid, 8th Edition, by Seeds, Backman, and Montgomery
Touching the Stars: Making Astronomy Accessible for Students With Visual Impairments
No full textGazing into the night sky can be an awe-inspiring experience, and often is what first sparks a student’s interest in science. But how would you share the wonder of the night sky with a visually impaired student? How would you explain the different brightness of stars, the shapes of constellations, or the relationship between the various objects in our solar system without the use of a visual aid
A Scientific Modeling Sequence for Teaching Earth Seasons
No full textA sequence for teaching Earth seasons is described. The sequence was designed with the use of guidelines for developing scientific modeling instruction. The presented sequence of activities differs from some previously developed Earth seasons activities in its emphasis on using students' own ideas to develop and test scientific models. Throughout the sequence, students' ideas are considered and tested in light of additional evidence that is gathered through various first-hand modeling activities. Evidence for instructional effectiveness is presented using several questions from pre- and postcourse assessments administered to elementary and middle school teachers in two groups: teachers who experienced the modeling-focused sequence, and teachers who experienced instruction addressing Earth seasons that included modeling but with no specific sequence for learning. Teachers who experienced the modeling-focused sequence demonstrated larger gains on assessment questions. Several limitations to this real-world instructional example are described
The Venus Transit, the Mayan Calendar and Astronomy Education in Guanajuato, Mexico
No full textNo Abstract
Using Astronomy And Botany To Improve Writing Skills
No full textAstronomy is one of the interesting but difficult topics in science for elementary education. Therefore, it is interesting to create astronomy activities that children can understand clearly. The researchers developed activities by using astronomy and botany to improve writing skills. They have to glue the local flowers on the star pictures then write the name of those flowers, the name of the constellation and write an essay describing their work. The participants are into two groups. 71 year undergraduate students who registered for teaching and are learning science as an elementary education subjec, and 10 grade student from the laboratory school of Ubon Ratchathani Rajabhat university. We can conclude that both groups were more interested in astronomy, they can tell the name of local flowers and not only used their imagination to create their work, but also to write great essays
Collaboration Between Astronomers at UT Austin and K-12 Teachers: Connecting the Experience of Observing and Research with the Classroom
No full textMcDonald Observatory has a long history of providing teacher professional development (PD), and recently we have developed a new workshop model for more advanced participants. By choosing a select group of middle and high school teachers from those previously involved in our past PD programs, we have created a joint workshop / observing run program for them. After traveling to the observatory, the teachers participate in an actual observing run with a research astronomer. The teachers are trained first-hand how to take observations, operate the telescope, set up the instrument, and monitor observing conditions. The teachers are fully put in the role of observer. They are also given background information before and during the workshop related to the science and data they are helping to collect. The teachers work in teams to both perform the nightly observations with an astronomer, but to also perform new interactive classroom activities with education staff, and use other telescopes on the mountain. This is a unique experience for teachers since it allows them to take the resources and experiences directly back to their classrooms and students. They can directly relate to their students what skills for specific careers in STEM fields are needed. Evaluation from these workshops shows that there is: increased content knowledge among participants, greater impact that will be passed on to their students, and an authentic research experience that can't be replicated in other PD settings. In addition, not only is this program beneficial to the teachers, but this group is benefit to the education program of McDonald Observatory. Building on an existing PD program (with a 16 year history) we have the opportunity to test out new products and new education endeavors with this devoted group of well-trained teachers before bringing them to wider teacher and student audiences
Three essays examining conceptual change and understanding across science disciplines with three different learner populations
No full textThe following dissertation details three different research studies centered on conceptual change and conceptual understanding as a theoretical framework for research. The three studies span across age groups and science content areas. Study one details young children’s understanding of the day and night skies both before and after a playbased instructional intervention. The preschool setting can capitalize on young children’s interests in science explorations and be highly engaging for young children (French, 2004). Play is considered as an integral part of early childhood curricula, and has been receiving much attention in the last decade, yet there is a lack of evidence about the effectiveness of play as a pedagogical tool for young learners in general and more specifically for children’s learning of science concepts. Study one layers play pedagogy and the theoretical framework of conceptual change theory. Study two seeks to examine conceptual understandings and changes after providing in-service teachers with an inquiry based professional development based on space science concepts. Four early childhood teachers participated in 12 hours of an inquiry-based professional development (PD) built on Physics by Inquiry (McDermott, 1996). Two of these teachers were followed into their classrooms for researchers to observe and gain understanding of the efficacy of their instructional implementation with preschool children. Study three aims to perform the first implementation of the English version of The Nature of Solutions and Solubility—Diagnostic Instrument (NSS–DI Eng) with college students enrolled in a first year chemistry course. This two-tiered instrument was designed to assess students’ understanding of solution chemistry concepts that are important on their own but are also foundational to more advanced chemistry concepts. To evaluate the reliability and the discriminatory power of this assessment tool, statistical tests were used focusing on both item analysis (item difficulty index, discrimination index, point-biserial coefficient) and whole-test statistics (Cronbach’s alpha and Ferguson’s delta). Results indicate that the English version of the NSS-DI is an acceptable and reliable instrument for assessing student conceptions of solution chemistry concepts but may benefit from minor changes
Flying the Infrared Skies: An Authentic SOFIA Educator Experience
No full textThe NASA/DLR Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) flagship education effort is its Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors (AAA) program. The program flies teams of teachers on SOFIA research flights as part of an educator professional development effort enabling these teachers to experience first-hand the workings of the airborne observatory, to interact with scientists and technologists, to observe research in progress and how scientists use technology—all in support of national STEM goals. The presenter will share his own experience as an EPO escort on a recent SOFIA flight including two educator teams, providing a first-hand account of how an “authentic” science experience can exploit unique NASA assets to improve science teaching, inspire students, inform local communities, and contribute to the elevation
of public science literacy