iStarDB (The Astronomy Education Research Repository)
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The New Curriculum Standards for for Astronomy in the United States
No full textThere is widespread interest in constraining the wide range and vast domain of the possible topics one might teach about astronomy into a manageable framework. Although there is no mandated national curriculum in the United States, an analysis of the three recent national efforts to create an age-appropriate sequence of astronomy concepts to be taught in primary and secondary schools reveals a considerable lack of consensus of which concepts are most age-appropriate and which topics should be covered. The most recent standardization framework for US science education, the Next Generation Science Standards, suggests that most astronomy concepts should be taught only in the last years of one’s education; however, the framework has been met with considerable criticism. A comparison of astronomy learning frameworks in the United States, and a brief discussion of their criticisms, might provide international astronomy educators with comparison data in formulating recommendations in their own regions
Thai Students’ Understanding about Celestial Motion within Their Social and Cultural Context
No full textThis study investigated forty-one Thai 9th grade students’ understanding about the motion of the sun, moon, and stars within their social and cultural context. Students' understanding was explored using a survey tool titled “Students’ Understanding about Celestial Motion within Their Social and Cultural Context Questionnaire (SCMSCQ).” This questionnaire gave students the opportunity to express their ideas about celestial motion within their social and cultural context. The study reveals some interesting features of student understanding, and particularly their difficulty in
perceiving the relationship between the study of celestial motion and their social and cultural context. Many students used descriptions from their everyday observations of the daily motion of the sun, moon, and stars, rather than scientific explanations, to answer questions about the relationship between social and cultural context and celestial motion. This study has implications for the development of teaching the sociocultural approach in Thailand
NASA Astrophysics EPO Community: Increasing and Sustaining Youth and Public Engagement in STEM
No full textThe NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Astrophysics Education and Public Outreach (EPO) community and Forum work together to capitalize on the cutting-edge discoveries of NASA Astrophysics missions to enable youth to engage directly in doing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) inside and outside of school. The NASA SMD Astrophysics EPO community has proven expertise in providing student opportunities that reinforce research skills; exhibits, multimedia
shows, and visualizations that inspire and engage; professional development for informal educators; and partnerships that provide local, regional, and national reach. These mission- and grant-based EPO programs are uniquely poised to foster collaboration between scientists with content expertise and educators with pedagogy expertise. We present examples of how the NASA Astrophysics EPO community and Forum support youth and public engagement in STEM in these ways, including associated metrics and evaluation findings
Confidence Demonstrated By Students Of Pedagogy On The Teaching Of Astronomy In The Initial Years Of The Elementary School
No full textThis work attempts to identify the level of confidence of some students of the course in Pedagogy of a public University located in the interior of the Bahia state, for the teaching of contents of Astronomy in the initial years of the Elementary School. The data was obtained from the application of a questionnaire, answered by 16 students. The analysis of these results took into account several factors, like the framework of the curriculum of the graduation course in Pedagogy, the reading profile of the students and the level of experience regarding their teaching in classroom. The obtained results point to a great insecurity of the students regarding the teaching of contents of Astronomy, being compatible with previous findings obtained by other investigators of the area
NAOJ’s activities on Astronomy for Development: Aiding Astronomy Education in Developing Nations
No full textWe summarize NAOJ’s efforts to promote astronomy in developing nations. The Office of International Relations, collaborations with the Office of Public Outreach at NAOJ and with the East Asia Core Observatories Association (EACOA), has engaged children, students and educators about astronomy development in the Asia-Pacific region. In particular, we introduce “You are Galileo!” project, which is a very well received astronomy education program for children. We also report on a continuing effort by the Japanese Government in support of astronomy programs in the developing nations
Student Moon Observations and Spatial-Scientific Reasoning
No full textRelationships between sixth grade students' moon journaling and students' spatial-scientific reasoning after implementation of an Earth/Space unit were examined. Teachers used the project-based Realistic Explorations in Astronomical Learning curriculum. We used a regression model to analyze the relationship between the students' Lunar Phases Concept Inventory (LPCI) post-test score variables and several predictors, including moon journal score, number of moon journal entries, student gender, teacher experience, and pre-test score. The model shows that students who performed better on moon journals, both in terms of overall score and number of entries, tended to score higher on the LPCI. For every 1 point increase in the overall moon journal score, participants scored 0.18 points (out of 20) or nearly 1% point higher on the LPCI post-test when holding constant the effects of the other two predictors. Similarly, students who increased their scores by 1 point in the overall moon journal score scored approximately 1% higher in the Periodic Patterns (PP) and Geometric Spatial Visualization (GSV) domains of the LPCI. Also, student gender and teacher experience were shown to be significant predictors of post-GSV scores on the LPCI in addition to the pre-test scores, overall moon journal score, and number of entries that were also significant predictors on the LPCI overall score and the PP domain. This study is unique in the purposeful link created between student moon observations and spatial skills. The use of moon journals distinguishes this study further by fostering scientific observation along with skills from across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines
Langitselatan As An Astronomy Learning Base For Citizen Projects In Indonesia
No full textThese days, advanced technologies provide an easy way for the public to obtain information about anything, including astronomy. Most people know astronomy for its sky events and scientific results. In Indonesia, the public has a high interest not only in astronomy information but also in participating in astronomy events, but it is limited to those who has access to a club nearby. Otherwise, for those who live in remote areas or simply don’t have any access, they depend on information from newspapers, magazines, books or word of mouth. They usually think that astronomy is a difficult subject to learn, while in fact it is something doable and fun