iStarDB (The Astronomy Education Research Repository)
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North Carolina Statewide Star Party: 45 Sites Offer Skywatching and Citizen Science the Same Night
No full textAs the kickoff to the 2013 North Carolina Science Festival, 45 sites across the state planned skywatching sessions for the public on April 5, 2013. The Statewide Star Party sites stretched across 500 miles, from the mountains to the Outer Banks, and included large cities as well as rural areas. Hosts included parks, planetariums, museums, nature centers, and universities. Many sites were aided by local amateur astronomers who provided their telescopes and expertise. Because the star party date fell during International Dark Sky Week and a GLOBE at Night citizen-science campaign, each host was encouraged to teach their audiences about light pollution and GLOBE at Night, and was provided with a kit of relevant materials to support them in planning their events and educating the public. Two hosts canceled their events because of poor weather. The 43 star party events that took place attracted 4,926 participants and were held in 31 counties across the state. The North Carolina Statewide Star Party will become an annual event during the North Carolina Science Festival. Other states and
regions are encouraged to plan similar star parties to help educate and inspire the public about astronomy and citizen science
The Astronomical Roots of Sapling Learning: Building a Comprehensive Online Homework System for Astro 101
No full textI discuss the method of creating a library of questions for Astro 101 within the Sapling Learning homework system, as well as the philosophy behind the types of homework questions (and feedback) that are being written. The system’s features were built around meeting five basic goals: flexibility, engaging content, peer instruction, immediate instructional feedback, and exploration
Training Young Astronomers in EPO: An Update on the AAS Astronomy Ambassadors Program
No full textThe American Astronomical Society, with organizations active in EPO, has launched professional-development workshops and a community of practice to help improve early-career astronomers’ ability to communicate effectively. Called “Astronomy Ambassadors,” the program provides mentoring and training for participants, from advanced undergraduates to beginning faculty. By learning to implement effective EPO strategies, Ambassadors become better teachers, meeting presenters, and representatives
of our science to the public and government. Because young astronomers are a more diverse group than those who now do most outreach, they help the astronomy community present a more multicultural and gender-balanced face to the public, enabling underserved groups to see themselves as scientists. Ambassadors are given a library of outreach activities and materials, including many developed by cooperating organizations such as the ASP, plus some that have been created by Andrew Fraknoi specifically for this program
Learning About the Sky From the Environment: an Experience Working Along One Year With Students of Elementary Education
No full textResearch developed with 95 students of the 6th year of elementary education in a public school of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais. It was a continuous work from February to December 2013, which led the students to participate in activities of observation of the environment, specifically the sky, analyzing the changes occurred. We focused on the study of variations in temperature, rainfall, day length, variations in the size of the shadows and changes in the aspect of the Moon. Our focus of analysis targeted the discussion of the knowledge that these students had about the topics indicated and as they entered the stage during the implementation of the proposal. The results showed a limited perception that students have of their environment, however, lately expanded due to the undertaken activities, especially in relation to the Moon. Working with systematic measure procedures reveals the careful handling of data so that they become understandable to students, and working with the shadows points towards the students first understand how shadows are formed, and then apply this knowledge to Astronomy. Finally, we conclude that the lived process consisted of an initial step of a work that should be encouraged for the subsequent years of training of these students
Who Needs 3D When the Universe Is Flat?
No full textAn overlooked feature in astronomy education is the need for students to learn to extrapolate three-dimensionality and the challenges that this may involve. Discerning critical features in the night sky that are embedded in dimensionality is a long-term learning process. Several articles have addressed the usefulness of three-dimensional (3D) simulations in astronomy education, but they have neither addressed what students discern nor the nature of that discernment. A Web-based questionnaire was designed using links to video clips drawn from a simulation video of travel through our galaxy and beyond. The questionnaire was completed by 137 participants from nine countries across a broad span of astronomy education. The descriptions provided by the participants were analyzed using hermeneutics in combination with a constant comparative approach to formulate six categories of discernment in relation to multidimensionality. These results are used to make the case that the ability to extrapolate three-dimensionality calls for the creation of meaningful motion parallax experiences
Understanding Gravity: The Role of a School Visit to a Science Centre
No full textThis paper examines the knowledge construction processes involved when grades 7 and 8 South African students learnt about the concept of gravity while visiting an astronomy-related science centre. The literature on students' understanding of gravity identifies a number of alternative conceptions prevalent, several of which are mirrored in this study. The concept of gravity was demonstrated to learners in a number of ways at the study site, using exposition, models and direct experience of its effects. Using interviews with students, and drawing on a human constructivist framework, the paper shows how knowledge about gravity was acquired incrementally, through subsumption, and more substantially, through greater knowledge restructuring. In addition to students' understanding of the cause of gravity, particular attention is paid to their perception of how it operates on bodies in the solar system. Networks of activity involving the effects of gravity which result in significant knowledge restructuring are recommended as providing the most substantial learning experience in an informal environment such as a science centre
Research on the Pseudo-scientific Beliefs of Pre-service Science Teachers: a Sample From Astronomy-Astrology
No full textThe purpose of this study was to determine perceptions embraced by preservice science teachers on astrology, which is defined as a pseudo-science. It also aimed to reflect their abilities to distinguish between science and pseudo-science through the examples of astronomy – astrology. Twenty-nine grade 4 preservice teachers studying Science Education participated in the study. Among the qualitative research patterns, the phenomenological approach was used for the study. Data were collected through an open-ended question form, group discussion records, and research assignments, while individual interviews were conducted where necessary. Open coding was used for the evaluation of the data, and the validity of the study was obtained through verifications of preservice teachers on themes and theories during the interviews. The findings of the study showed that a vast majority of preservice teachers perceived astrology as a field of science or a subfield of astronomy. Quite a few preservice teachers expressed that astrology was a nonscientific field and that knowledge obtained through astrology could not be considered as scientific knowledge
Monitoring and evaluating astronomy outreach programmes: Challenges and solutions
No full textA number of tools exist to guide the monitoring and evaluation of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and outreach programmes. Fewer tools exist for evaluating astronomy outreach programmes. In this paper we try to overcome this limitation by presenting a monitoring and evaluation framework developed for the International Astronomical Union’s Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD). The mandate of the OAD is to stimulate sustainable development at an international level and to expand astronomy education and outreach globally. The broad assumptions of this programme are that astronomy has the potential to contribute to human development by means of the transferable nature of its science discoveries, as well as its potential to activate feelings of wonderment, inspiration and awareness of the universe. As a result, the programme potentially embodies a far broader mix of outcomes than conventionally considered in STEM evaluation approaches. Towards this aim, we operationalise our
monitoring and evaluation approach by first outlining programme theories for three key OAD programmes:
a programme for universities and research, another one for schools, and one for public outreach. We then identify outcomes, indicators and measures for each one of these programmes. We conclude with suggestions for evaluating the global impact of astronomy for development
Science Literacy’s Neglected Twin: Numeracy
No full textHave introductory astronomy courses moved too far toward qualitative science? By itself, qualitative understanding, even deep appreciation, of the scientific
endeavor is insufficient to engender scientific literacy. In order to interpret scientific information encountered in daily life and to distinguish it from pseudoscience, our students must also be quantitatively savvy. A scientifically literate citizen should be able to employ arithmetic, interpret numbers in context, read graphs and tables, and confidently incorporate numbers in writing. A gentle quantitative emphasis permeates our introductory astronomy courses to help our students become aware of their numerical deficits and appreciate the value of numerical thinking. This approach not only helps transform students into more well-informed citizens and capable problem solvers but also helps them achieve a deeper understanding of course material. We present data
from an educational study that documents the extent of quantitative illiteracy and shows that improvements in attitude and achievement are possible
Encouraging a Culture of Outreach in Astronomy Clubs
No full textAstronomy clubs constitute a “marching army” of knowledgeable, experienced astronomy enthusiasts deployed in a national network: an important resource for engaging the public through educational outreach events and activities. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) in partnership with the Institute for Learning Innovation
(ILI) and Inverness Research, Inc., has been engaged in a multi-year NSF-supported project focusing on this network and its potential to advance astronomy education and
outreach. The project has explored the culture of astronomy clubs, identified impediments to building cultures of outreach within clubs, and developed and introduced new mechanisms to overcome these impediments and enhance clubs’ abilities to encourage and sustain cultures that value and promote outreach efforts. This paper shares initial research, development and evaluation findings of the project, and describes ongoing
supplemental efforts that continue to advance project objectives