Cover

Title

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

Preface

Participants

Welcome and Opening Address

A welcome from the Chairman

Astronomy Education: an international perspective

1. Why is Astronomy Education Important?

2. What is Astronomy Education?

3. The Problems of Astronomy Education

4. Varieties of Astronomy Education

5. The Needs of the Developing Countries

6. Astronomy Education Around The World

7. How Can Astronomers and Educators Support and Improve Education?

REFERENCES

Special Lecture

Sundials in London - Linking architecture and astronomy

1. Sundials in my life

2. Understanding the hour lines - a model helps

3. Dials in London

1. University Education

University Education in the Next Century

1. The Present

2. Influence of the Present on the Future

3. Conclusion

Who are our Students - And why does it Matter?

1. Introduction

2. Project-oriented courses

3. Comments

4. Drawbacks

REFERENCES

The Use of Photographs in Astronomical Instruction

1. The Edinburgh Teaching Packages

2. The use of enlarged reproductions

3. New Trends

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

REFERENCES

New trends in university education in Russia: teaching Natural History for humanities

International Schools for Young Astronomers, Astronomically Developing Countries, and Lonely Astronomers

1. Goals

2. The International Schools for Young Astronomers (ISYA)

2.1. What do the participants get out of it?

2.2. What does the host institution get out of it?

3. Visiting Lecturer Programs (VLP)

4. Teaching for Astronomy Development (TAD)

5. Does WWW eliminate scientific isolation?

India

1. Introduction

2. General Information

3. Public Awareness

4. Contribution of IUCAA

5. The Total Solar Eclipse 1995

6. Books

7. Conclusion

The challenge of teaching astronomy in developing countries

1. Introduction

2. Main Problems

3. Present and future astronomy teaching

The MicroObservatory Net

1. The MicroObservatory Net

The European Astrophysics Doctoral Network

1. What is the EADN?

2. The Student Mobility Scheme

3. The Schools Programme

4. The European dimension

5. The future

Appendix A. List of EADN Schools and Book Titles

2. Distance Learning and Electronic Media in Teaching Astronomy

Distance education in astronomy: at-a-distance and on-campus, a growing force

1. Introduction

2. What is (successful) distance education?

2.1. Advantages and disadvantages of distance education

3. The world scene in distance education in astronomy

3.1. The "mega-universities" in distance education

4. Astronomy at The Open University

4.1. Practical work in astronomy at-a-distance: how much can be achieved?

4.2. Other aspects of astronomy education at the OU

5. Expansion of distance education and the use of self study materials on campus

6. Summary

REFERENCES

Teaching Astronomy at the University of South Africa

1. The development of distance education in South Africa: historical background and the University of South Africa

2. The astronomy curriculum

3. The Unisa Observatory

4. Future developments

4.1. Collaboration

4.2. Students on Line

A multi-resource system for remote teaching in Astronomy : its aims, its design, the point of view of the learners

1. INTRODUCTION

2. Creation of the course

2.1. Centre National d'Enseignement á Distance (CNED)

2.2. A partnership between CNED and Paris XI University

2.3. Who is the course designed for ?

2.4. Which scientific content?

2.5. Which teaching materials are provided?

2.5.1. Printed texts

2.5.2. Slides

2.5.3. Videocassettes

2.5.4. Software

2.6. Which services are offered to the students?

2.6.1. Assignments

2.6.2. Meeting in observatorie

2.6.3. Planetarium sessions

2.6.4. Telematic service (E-mail with Minitel)

2.7. Calendar of the course

3. Registrations and exam results

4. The learners' point of view

4.1. Which types of information have we looked for?

4.2. How many students answered the questionnaire?

4.3. Who are the students?

4.4. What is the overall assessment of the students?

4.5. What do they point out?

5. CONCLUSION

Use of the World Wide Web in astronomy teaching

On-Line Resources for Classroom Use: data and science results from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and other missions

1. Introduction

1.1. Background: NASA Involvement

1.2. Strategic Partnerships

1.3. Electronic Access and Innovation

2. Resources Available

2.1. Example 1: Hubble Space Telescope Integrated Releases

2.2. Example 2: Remote Sensing Public Access Center (RSPAC)

2.3. Example 3: The Science Information Infrastructure (SII)

2.4. Summary

Bringing the Universe into the Laboratory-Project CLEA: Contemporary Laboratory Exercises in Astronomy

1. The Dilemma of the Introductory Astronomy Laboratory

2. The Origins of Project CLEA

3. Description of the CLEA Exercises

4. Prospects for Future Development

5. Obtaining CLEA materials

Acknowledgements

REFERENCES

Project LINK: A Live and Interactive Network of Knowledge

Computer as a tool in astronomy teaching

Mathwise Astronomy and the TLTP: aiding or degrading education?

1. Background

2. UK Mathematics Courseware Consortium

3. Mathwise Astronomy

4. Computer Aided Virtual Experiments (CAVEs)

5. Flexible Study Modes

6. Evaluation: First Aid or Lemonade ?

7. Further Developments

8. Further Information

Acknowledgements

REFERENCES

A Virtual Telescope for the Open University Science Foundation Course

1. Introduction

2. S103: Discovering Science

3. Course Components

4. Universal Processes

5. A Virtual Telescope

5.1. Imager

5.2. Spectrometer

5.3. Photometer

5.4. Results

6. Conclusions

The presence of multimedia in astronomy teaching

1. Introduction

2. Media carrying information

2.1. Planetary models from Ole Romer

2.2. Graphics and Images

2.2.1 Globular Clusters

2.2.2 The H-R diagram

2.2.3 The Moon

3. Cyberspace and virtual reality in a digitized culture

3. The Student Learning Process

What to Cover and When

Alternative frameworks amongst University of Plymouth Astronomy Students

1. Introduction

2. Previous Studies

3. Advancement of previous surveys

4. Results from the questionnaire

5. Conceptions of our Solar System

6- Further study

7. Conclusion to the surveys

REFERENCES

Identifying and Addressing Astronomy Misconceptions in the Classroom

1. Origins of Misconceptions

1.1. Factual Misinformation

1.2. Media Minimalism

1.3. Cartoons and Science Fiction

1.4. Mythical Concepts

1.5. Language Imprecision

1.6. Erroneous Personal Cosmology

1.7. Incomplete Understanding of the Scientific Process and Scientists

1.8. Incomplete Information/Reasoning

1.9. Misinterpreting Sensory Information

1.10. Inaccurate or Incomplete Observations

1.11. Anthropomorphizing

1.12. Common Sense

1.12.1. Over-generalization

1.12.2. Uniqueness

1.12.3. Permanence

1.12.4. Choosing the Simplest Explanation

2. Classroom Remediation of Misconceptions

2.1. Make students aware that they harbor misconceptions

2.2. Assure students that misconceptions are unavoidable and that they do not imply stupidity

2.3. Teach students the origins of misconceptions

2.4. Assure students that with suitable effort, they can unlearn many misconceptions

2.5. Teach the scientific method and critical thinking

2.6. Ask "What If?" questions about misconception-prone topics and explore the results

2.7. Keep students focused on this issue throughout the course

REFERENCES

Learning Effectiveness of Lecture Versus Laboratory: are labs worth it?

1. Introduction

2. The Student Population

3. Introduction to the Survey

4. The Survey Results

5. Discussion

Acknowledgments

REFERENCES

Robot Telescopes: a new era in access to astronomy

1. Background

2. The Bradford Robot Telescope

3. The Use of the Telescope for Education

4. The Future Plans

REFERENCES

Teaching/Learning Astronomy at the Elementary School Level

1. What kind of astronomy can be taught to children between the ages of 6 and 11?

2. Research Methods

2.1. Children's Initial Conceptions of the Sun

2.1.2. Activities designed to interact with conceptions, encourage their evolution and avoid certain teaching obstacles

2.1.3. Evolution of conceptions as the expansion of our field of validity

3. Training courses for teachers

3.1. Primary and fundamental elements

REFERENCES

The Influences of the National Curriculum on Children's Misconceptions about Astronomy and the Use of these Misconceptions in the Development of Interactive Teaching Materials

1. Methods of Investigation

2. Results of the Survey

2.1. Planet Earth and Gravity

2.2. Day and Night

2.3. Phases of the Moon

2.4. The Seasons

REFERENCES

Role of Novel Scientific Results in Learning

1. Introduction

2. The Croatian Experience

3. Conclusion

REFERENCES

The Jupiter-Comet Collision: some conceptual implications

1. INTRODUCTION

2. Why the JPR System is a Challenging one?

3. Similarity between Kepler and Students

REFERENCES

4. Planetarium Education and Training

The Current Role of Planetariums in Astronomy Education

The Use of the Planetarium in Nautical and Field Astronomy Education

1. Introduction

2. Coordinate Systems and the Planetarium

3. Gyroscopes and Orreries

4. Geocentric Corrections

5. Heliocentric Corrections

6. History of Nautical Astronomy

6.1. Finding latitude at sea

6.2. The longitude problem

6.3. The Moons of Jupiter

6.3.1. The Lunar Distance Method

7. Conclusion

REFERENCES

The Total Solar Eclipse of October 24 1995

1. Introduction

2. The Background

3. Public Education

4. School Education

5. Undergraduate Projects

6. Amateur Experiments

7. Conclusion

The Planetarium-a place to learn

British Planetaria and the National Curriculum

1. Introduction

2. Background

3. The 1991 national curriculum

3.1. The 1994 curriculum

3.2. Teaching the curriculum

4. Scottish school astronomy

5. A-level Astronomy

6. Conclusion

References

5. Public Education in Astronomy

Public Education: the ultimatum for the profession

1. Introduction

2. Benefits of public education for the professionals

3. The Professional's Apprehension About Public Education

4. Categories of Target Groups

5. How to Make Contact

6. Strategies for Implementation

7. Final Remarks

The Role of Science Centres as Aids for Astronomical Education

1. Introduction

2. Science Centres

2.1. Hands-on exhibits

2.2. The Travelling Museum

2.3. Workshops

2.4. Public Lectures

2.5. Ushers

2.6. Plays

2.7. Libraries

2.8. Shops

2.9. Teaching materials

2.10. Starlabs and small telescopes

2.11. Amateurs

3. Very small science centers

3.1. Science Wagons

3.2. Starting a Science Center

4. Conclusion

REFERENCES

The STAR CENTRE at Sheffield Hallam University

1. Introduction

2. The Star Centre in Context

3. Activities

3.1. The Information Centre

3.2. Star Nights

3.3. Astro Take-Aways

3.4. Observing Projects

3.5. Astronomy Course

3.6. Stardome

3.7. Media

3.8. Starter Packs

4. Usage of the Centre

5. Future Developments

5.1. Schools

5.2. Public Observation

5.3. The 1999 Total Solar Eclipse

6. Summary

How to Suceed in Convincing Municipalities to build Astronomy Centres: the experience of Campinas Region

1. Introduction

2. The Process

3. Conclusions

3.1. Acknowledgements

4. References

Public Information Project of the Total Solar Eclipse of November 3, 1994 in Paraná State, Brazil

1. Introduction

2. The General Directive of the Campaign

3. The Communication Campaign in Parana State

4. Results

Acknowledgement

REFERENCES

Solar Eclipses and Public Education

Acknowledgments

REFERENCES

The Role of Amateur Astronomers in Astronomy Education

1. What Is An Amateur Astronomer?

2. What Is Astronomy Education?

3. The Contributions of Amateur Astronomers to Astronomical Research

4. Amateur Astronomers As Supporters Of Astronomy

5. Amateur Astronomers And Public Education

6. Amateur Astronomers and Formal Education

7. Amateur Astronomers and Elementary School Education

8. Amateur Astronomers and Secondary School Education

9. Amateur Astronomers and University Education

10. Summary

REFERENCES

Astronomy to understand a human environment

1. Expansion of scientific items to be taught

2. New recommendations of governmental consulting committee for education

3. Proposed change for science course

4. Conclusion

Selling Our Southern Skies: recent public astronomy developments at the Carter Observatory, New Zealand

1. Introduction

2. The Visitor Center

3. Carter Observatory Publications

4. Other Public Program Initiatives

5. Discussion

6. Conclusion

REFERENCES

Astronomy Education in Latvia - problems and development

1. Primary school

2. Secondary school

3. Teachers' activities

4. Public education

REFERENCES

Teaching Astronomy at Sydney Observatory

1. Introduction

2. Recent Innovations in Education

2.1. Open Nights

2.2. Camp-ins for Children

2.3. Camp-ins for Adults

2.4. Midnight Suppers

3. Viewing the sky

3.1. Light pollution

3.2. Telescopes

4. Exhibitions

4.1. Picturing the Sky: the Photographs of David Malin

4.2. By the Light of the Southern Stars: Planned for 1997

5. Discussion

REFERENCES

Developing Science Education and Outreach Partnerships at Research Institutions

1. Introduction

2. Outreach Programs

2.1. Programs for College Students and Teachers

2.2. Programs for K-12 Students and Teachers

2.3. Programs for the General Public

3. Conclusion

Literature for Amateur Astronomers

Desktop Space Exploration

1. The Astronomy Option

2. Astronomy On Line

3. The National Science Centre (NSC)

4. Small Mission Architects and Builders

5. Faster, Cheaper, Better

6. Space for Education

7. Education for Space

8. Publicity

REFERENCES

6. Teaching Astronomy in the Schools

Current Trends in European Astronomy Education

1. Introduction

1.1 A European Initiative

1.1. Geographical disparity

2. Establishment of the European Association for Astronomy Education

3. Astronomy On-Line

3.1. The goals

3.2. Steering Committees

3.3. Participation

3.4. Computer Nodes

4. The Astronomy On-Line Concept

4.1. General information

4.2. Collaborative projects

4.3. Astronomical observations

4.4. Astronomical software

4.5. Use of astronomical data on the WWW

4.6. Prepared exercises (Try your skills)

4.7. Talk to the professionals

4.8. Group communication

4.9. Newspaper

5. The schedule

5.1. Phase 1 (October 1 - November 17, 1996)

5.2. Phase 2 (November 18 - 19, 1996)

5.3. Phase 3 (November 20 - 22, 1996)

6. Follow-Up Activities

REFERENCES

Project ASTRO: A Successful Model for Astronomer/Teacher Partnerships

1. Overview

2. Background — The Astronomical Society of the Pacific

3. The ASTRO Pilot Project 1993-1995

4. Recruitment and Application Process

5. Selection and Matching Process

6. Initial Training

7. Development of Resource Materials

8. Implementation

9. Results

10. The Project ASTRO Expansion Program

11. The San Francisco Bay Area Program

12. National Expansion

13. The Astronomer Partners Program (APP)

14. Conclusion

Acknowledgments

REFERENCES

The Training of Teachers

1. Introduction

1.1. Why Astronomy in the curricula?

1.2. The Training of Teachers

2. Present European situation

3. Examples of Activities Developed in Europe

4. Conclusion

APPENDIX 1: THE POINT OF VIEW OF A FRENCH MATHEMATICS SCHOOL TEACHER

New Trends in Astronomy Teaching

Common organizational elements

REFERENCES

Coping with a New Curriculum: The Evolving Schools Program at the Carter Observatory, New Zealand

1. Introduction

2. Schools Program

2.1. Unit Booklets

2.2. The Resource Centre

3. Other Related Initiatives

3.1. Holiday Programs

3.2. "Overnight Extravaganzas"

3.3. Astro-camp Booklets

3.4. Training

4. CONCLUSION

Acknowledgements

REFERENCES

U.S. Science education reforms: is astronomy being overlooked?

1. Recent history of science education reform in the USA

2. Astronomy content in the reform documents

3. Why does it appear that astronomy has been overlooked in the NRC document?

4. What will be the effect on astronomy education as a result of the current reform movement?

REFERENCES

"Plaza del Cielo" Complex: its state of evolution

1. Our motivations for the creation of "Plaza del Ciel "

1.1. Geographical location and zone of direct influence

1.2. Institutions supporting the Plaza

2. Synthetic Description of the Project

3. State of Evolution of Plaza Del Cielo Complex

CREDITS OF PLAZA DEL CIELO COMPLEX

Astronomy as a School Subject

1. A brief survey about the teaching of astronomy in France at Primary and Secondary School level

2. What is the common ground between Primary and Secondary Schools?

Teaching Astronomy at Secondary School Level in Europe

1. Introduction

2. Relative Motions

3. Properties of Light

4. Aspects of Curricula and Publications

5. International Contacts

REFERENCES

A High School Astronomy Course for a Wide Range of Student Abilities

1. Introduction

2. Activities

2.1. Orientation: Celestial Sphere

2.1.1. Diurnal Path of the Sun

2.2. Earth-Sun-Moon

2.2.1. Ratios and Proportions

2.2.2. Lunar Phases

2.2.3. Lunar Surface Features

2.3. Pinhole Tubes

2.4. Refracting Telescopes

2.5. Three-Dimensional Constellation Models

2.6. Observational Astronomy

3. Course Content

4. Basic Skills

5. Assessment

6. Conclusion

REFERENCES

Measuring the Eccentricity of the Terrestrial Orbit: An Experiment in the Classroom

1. The eccentricity is very small

2. Observe the varying size of the solar disc

3. Variation in solar time

4. Procedure for the classroom

A Program Incorporating Physics, Astronomy and Environment

REFERENCES

Classroom Activity: Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion

1. Introduction

2. Student Activity

2.1. Materials For Each Student

2.2. Background

2.3. Procedure

2.4. Analysis

2.5. Discussion and Conclusion

3. Teaching tips

4. Summary

5. Appendix

Collaboration As a Viable Approach for Making Astrophysics Research Accessible to the K-12 Community Through the Internet and the World Wide Web

1. Introduction

2. The Importance of Developing Collaborative Efforts in Astronomy Education

3. Theoretical Framework

4. Brief Project Descriptions

4.1. Satellite Mission Class for Teachers

4.2. Science On-Line (SOL) Project

4.3. Science Information Infrastructure (SII) Project

5. Key Elements of Our Partnership Model

6. World Wide Web Information on the Science Education Program at CEA

7. Results and Conclusions

REFERENCES

Astronomy Teaching in the Astronautics Club

1. Introduction

2. The curriculum

3. The main purpose of the theoretical course

4. Different forms of knowledge checking

5. Conclusion

The TRUMP Astrophysics Project: resources for physics teaching

1. Introduction

1.1. Astrophysics within A-level physics

1.2. The need for resource materials

1.3. The TRUMP Astrophysics project

2. Designing an effective resource package

2.1. The structure of the TRUMP Astrophysics package

2.2. Student activities in the TRUMP resource package

2.2.1. Broadband spectra

2.2.2. Cepheids

2.2.3. HR diagrams

3. Summary: key features of the TRUMP project

REFERENCES

The Life in the Universe Series

1. Introduction

2. The Project

3. Curriculum Design

4. Testing and Evaluation

5. Science Review

6. Curriculum Product: The Life in the Universe Series

7. Publication

8. Conclusion

Acknowledgements

REFERENCES

The Astronomy Village: Investigating the Universe

1. Introduction

2. The Astronomy Village Process Model

3. E-Mail and Visualization Tools

4. The Role of the Mentor and the Team

5. Assumptions About the Scientific Process

6. The Research Investigations

7. Components of the Astronomy Village

8. Running and Using the Software

REFERENCES

7. Posters

Poster Review

8. Final Address

The Role of Astronomy in Education and 'Public Understanding'

1. Astronomy and Young People

2. Public Perceptions of Science Generally

3. The Media

4. Astronomy at College Level

5. A Sociological Note

6. Conclusion

Authors