iStarDB (The Astronomy Education Research Repository)
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Designing Science Learning with Game-Based Approaches
No full textGiven the growing popularity of digital games as a form of entertainment, educators are interested in exploring using digital games as a tool to facilitate learning. In this study, we examine game-based learning by describing a learning environment that combines game elements, play, and authenticity in the real world for the purpose of engaging students’ learning of science and enhancing student motivation. We discuss the design of the environment and present research conducted. Our findings demonstrate that the design of an engaging, interactive environment using a game-based approach can help students have fun while learning
Gearing Up for the Next 125 Years: Where Should Astronomy EPO and the ASP be Heading?
No full textIn 2014, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific will celebrate its 125th anniversary, commemorating a century and a quarter of advancing astronomy, education, and science literacy during which human perception and understanding of the Universe has undergone revolutionary change. What lies ahead for astronomy, astronomy and science education and outreach, and how can the ASP respond? Participants joined a discussion of the issues (current and future) and offered thoughts on how the ASP (and other organizations) can help to craft both the dialog and the solutions to the challenges we see ahead
“Wibbly-Wobbly, Timey-Wimey-Stuff:” Teaching with a Time Lord
No full textNovember 2013 marked the 50th anniversary of the premiere of Doctor Who, the longest-running science fiction television series in history (790 episodes spanning 1963–1989 and 2005–present). The revival of the BBC series in 2005 has been both critically acclaimed and commercially successful. The travels of the 900-plus year-old Time Lord and his companions introduce viewers to the past, present, and future of our planet and many others. While the series is obviously fictional, there is also a surprising amount of fairly accurate science as well
Determining The Shape Of The Orbit Of Mars In The High School
No full textIn the present work, in order to supply the lacks of practical activities related to the content of Kepler's Laws in high school physics textbooks, we present a practical activity to determine the shape of the orbit of Mars. In this activity the student can experience the discovery the shape of the orbit of Mars in a way similar to that realized by Johannes Kepler combining the physical concepts with geometry. We applied the activity to eighteen high school teachers participating in a Postgraduate Course in Science Education. After two hours of work the group obtained the shape of the orbit of Mars and estimated its orbital parameters with a relative error less than 14%
Memories Of Astronomy Education In Brazil: Clippings From The Discourses Of Interviewed Researchers On The Subject
No full textThis paper presents a historical retrospective concerning data from a research in Astronomy Education in Brazil, after 1973. It was organized on the basis of the speech analysis of national researchers considered references in this field by their peers. Furthermore, it was elaborated on the basis of other studies from the areas of Science Education, Physics and Astronomy. This historical overview was developed in order to facilitate understanding of the contexts in which the interviewed researchers have developed professionally. Moreover, we attempted to recover the memory of the growing field of research in Astronomy Education in the country. We believe that the history presented can help those trying to understand the past in an attempt to resolve current and future demands
Comparison of performance on multiple-choice questions and open-ended questions in an introductory astronomy laboratory
No full textWhen considering the variety of questions that can be used to measure students’ learning, instructors may choose to use multiple-choice questions, which are easier to score than responses to open-ended questions. However, by design, analyses of multiple-choice responses cannot describe all of students’ understanding. One method that can be used to learn more about students’ learning is the analysis of the open-ended responses students’ provide when explaining their multiple-choice response. In this study, we examined the extent to which introductory astronomy students’ performance on multiple-choice questions was comparable to their ability to provide evidence when asked to respond to an open-ended question. We quantified students’ open-ended responses by developing rubrics that allowed us to score the amount of relevant evidence students’ provided. A minimum rubric score was determined for each question based on two astronomy educators perception of the minimum amount of evidence needed to substantiate a scientifically accurate multiple-choice response. The percentage of students meeting both criteria of (1) attaining the minimum rubric score and (2) selecting the correct multiple-choice response was examined at three different phases of instruction: directly before lab instruction, directly after lab instruction, and at the end of the semester. Results suggested that a greater proportion of students were able to choose the correct multiple-choice response than were able to provide responses that attained the minimum rubric score at both the post-lab and post-instruction phases
The Awful Truth About Zero-g
No full textZero-G is a concept that people think they know but usually misunderstand. To illustrate the effects that happen in free-fall, the proper term, NASA developed two different demonstration units based on drop towers it uses in microgravity research, and associated education materials. While highly valuable, their efficacy has never been tested to show that they lead to proper student understanding of gravity and free-fall rather than providing a classroom diversion. In preparation for employing the free-fall demonstrator in a museum, an informal education setting, I developed and tested an activity in which students are challenged to explain what is happening in free-fall and the apparent 0g of space, and lead them to discover that the "awful truth" that true 0g does not exist. The activity is targeted for grades 5–9, consistent with New Mexico education standards, but is applicable to a broad range of audiences. I describe common misperceptions, the apparatus used, and results of the activity with teachers and then with students in an after-school program
How Are Montana’s Science Teachers Using The Taylor Planetarium As A Teaching Tool?
No full textThis project evaluated how teachers bringing groups to the Museum of the Rockies used the Taylor Planetarium as a learning tool. Teachers who visited the Museum between October 2013 and March of 2014 were asked to participate by answering questions via online surveys and phone interviews. Each teacher was asked to do this before and after their visit to the Taylor Planetarium to measure how their preparation before the visit impacted their students and themselves. After their visit, each participating teacher completed a survey to gather data on the purpose of school group visits, perceptions of student engagement, and instructional techniques used during their visit. Additionally, I contacted planetarium directors from the Pacific Northwest to gather data on their practices and ideas. This project generated evidence that there is a considerable need to increase the communication level between Montana’s teachers and the Museum of the Rockies to enhance the learning experience of the students they bring in to see a planetarium show
Astronomy textbook images: do they really help students?
No full textIn this paper we present a study on the difficulties secondary school students experience in interpreting textbook images of elementary astronomical phenomena, namely, the changing of the seasons, Sun and lunar eclipses and Moon phases. Six images from a commonly used textbook in Italian secondary schools were selected. Interviews of 45 min about the astronomical concepts related to the images were carried out with eighteen students attending the last year of secondary school (aged 17–18). Students’ responses were analyzed through a semiotic framework based on the different types of visual representation structures. We found that the wide range of difficulties shown by students come from na¨ıve or alternative ideas due to incorrect or inadequate geometric models of the addressed phenomena. As a primary
implication of this study, we suggest that teachers should pay attention to specific iconic features of the discussed images, e.g., the compositional structure and the presence of real/symbolic elements
The New Moon Illusion and the Role of Perspective in the Perception of Straight and Parallel Lines
No full textIn the new moon illusion, the sun does not appear to be in a direction perpendicular to the boundary between the lit and dark sides of the moon, and aircraft jet trails appear to follow curved paths across the sky. In both cases, lines that are physically straight and parallel to the horizon appear to be curved. These observations prompted us to investigate the neglected question of how we are able to judge the straight- ness and parallelism of extended lines. To do this, we asked observers to judge the 2-D alignment of three artificial “stars” projected onto the dome of the Saint Petersburg Planetarium that varied in both their elevation and their separation in horizontal azimuth. The results showed that observers make substantial, systematic errors, biasing their judgments away from the veridical great-circle locations and toward equal- elevation settings. These findings further demonstrate that whenever information about the distance of extended lines or isolated points is insufficient, observers tend to assume equidistance, and as a consequence, their straightness judgments are biased toward the angular separation of straight and parallel lines