A Review of High School Level Astronomy Student Research Projects Over the Last Two Decades (original) (raw)

The Student as Scientist: Secondary Student Research Projects in Astronomy

Publications of The Astronomical Society of Australia, 2000

Student research projects are becoming either integral or optional components of Science curricula in several countries. They provide a valuable opportunity for high school students to experience many of the joys and frustrations that make up the intellectual challenge of Science. Astronomy is one branch of Science that lends itself to student projects. Student Research Projects (SRPs) can be individual, group or collaborative between groups in other schools or countries and may involve professional mentors. Use of the Internet and remote access telescopes allow students to undertake challenging research and make worthwhile contributions to professional programs. This paper presents case studies of student projects in optical and radio astronomy from Australian and overseas schools and details both the benefits and problems faced in conducting such projects. Student responses to involvement in projects are discussed. Potential areas for future collaboration and development are highlighted together with the need for more research as to the most effective ways to implement projects and develop student skills.

Challenges in Astronomy Education

Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, 2009

Astronomy is an attractive subject for education. It deals with fascination of the unknown and the unreachable, yet is uses tools, concepts and insights from various fundamental sciences such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology. Because of this it can be well used for introducing sciences to young people and to raise their interest in further studies in that direction. It is also an interesting subject for teaching as its different aspects (observation techniques, theory, data sampling and analysis, modelling,?) offer various didactical approaches towards different levels of pupils, students and different backgrounds. And it gives great opportunities to teach and demonstrate the essence of scientific research, through tutorials and projects. In this paper we discuss some of the challenges education in general, and astronomy in particular, faces in the coming decades, given the major geophysical and technological changes that can be deducted from our present knowledge. This defines a general, but very important background in terms of educational needs at various levels, and in geographical distribution of future efforts of the astronomical community. Special emphasis will be given to creative approaches to teaching, to strategies that are successful (such as the use of tutorials with element from computer games), and to initiatives complementary to the regular educational system. The programs developed by the IAU will be briefly highlighted. Abstract. The primary goals of the IAU Commission 46 Program Teaching Astronomy for Development (TAD) are to aid in "the enhancement of a country's astronomy education and astronomical research in support of education". The IAU-TAD program continues to vigorously support astronomy education, teaching, research and outreach programs in developing countries. TAD programs supported over the last few years have included the following countries: Columbia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, North Korea (DPR-Korea), the Philippines, Vietnam. Examples and outcomes of some of these programs are discussed. Also discussed are the future plans for the TAD program as well as practical information on how to apply for a TAD program for your country. Abstract. The IAU as the biggest international organization of professional Astronomy has been dedicated to questions on Astronomy Education in schools and for the general public, by means of the Commission 46 (Astronomy Education and Development). In the last 20 years, many works were presented on Colloquia and Special Sections of General Assemblies.

Astronomy Education - An overview

1995

This Joint Discussion was sponsored by IAU Commission 46 (The Teaching of Astronomy), whose work affects and benefits all IA U members. The JD was chaired by Lucienne Gouguenheim and John Percy, who are grateful to the Organizing Committee of the Commission for their advice and assistance. The editor is especially grateful to Carolyn Moon, Erindale Campus, University of Toronto, for typing these proceedings quickly and carefully from a very heterogeneous manuscript. In addition to the papers published here, there were papers by M. Othman (The Needs of 'The Lone Astronomer') and by N. Raghavan (The Role of Planetaria) for which manuscripts were not received. Two poster papers, by J. Matthews (on "Offthe-Shelf" Computer Software in the Astronomy Lab), and by Robbins (on Using Computers to Personalize a Large Class) were also presented as brief oral reports. A limited number of copies of the full proceedings of this JD, including discussion, and abstracts of the papers by Matthews and Robbins, are available from the undersigned.

Bringing frontline astronomy in the classroom: EU-HOU

2006

The EU-HOU project ("Hands-On Universe, Europe. Bringing frontline interactive astronomy to the classroom") is in keeping with the general goal of renewing the teaching of science. A re-awakening of interest for science in the young generation is foreseen through astronomy and the use of new technologies, which should challenge middle and high schools pupils. The primary target group will thus be the school teachers, who will be involved through a pilot school scheme widely advertised. The project is based on real observations, possibly acquired by the pupils themselves in classrooms thanks to either a European and worldwide network of automatic telescopes operated via Internet or didactical tools (Webcam system, radio telescope) developed within this project. These observations can be manipulated in classrooms with a specific software designed to be pupils friendly. They are integrated into pedagogical resources constructed in a close collaborative work between researcher...

A Review of Astronomy Education Research

The field of astronomy education is rapidly growing beyond merely sharing effective activities or curriculum ideas. This paper categorizes and summarizes the literature in astronomy education research and contains more than 100 references to articles, books, and Web-based materials. Research into student understanding on a variety of topics now occupies a large part of the literature. Topics include the shape of Earth and gravity, lunar phases, seasons, astrobiology, and cosmology. The effectiveness of instructional methods is now being tested systematically, taking data beyond the anecdotal with powerful research designs and statistical analyses. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches have found their places in the researcher's toolbox. In all cases, the connection between the research performed and its effect on classroom instruction is largely lacking. Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences known. Whether it is the basis of planning for an elaborate religious ceremony or working on the cutting-edge of science and technology, astronomy remains at the forefront of the public's attention and interest. Astronomy in educational contexts—its presence in the classroom, museum, or observatory at any level—has fluctuated with popular opinion of the time. At one time, astronomy was a required course for anyone seeking a college degree; today, most college students see it as only one of many electives at select universities. But in spite of astronomy's long presence in the public eye, research in astronomy education is a very new field. What little systematic research has been conducted on the teaching and learning of astronomy is scattered among many journals over the years. Prior to 2002, there were no journals dedicated to this emerging field; the online journal the Astronomy Education Review began publication in late 2001.

Blazing The Trail For Astronomy Education Research

Journal of Astronomy & Earth Sciences Education (JAESE), 2015

Education research has long considered student learning of topics in astronomy and the space sciences, but astronomy education research as a sub-field of discipline-based education research is relatively new. Driven by a growing interest among higher education astronomy educators in improving the general education, introductory science survey course for non-science majoring undergraduates ("ASTRO 101"), contemporary astronomy education research is led by scholars with significant expertise in astronomy content. In this review, we outline the recent history of the growing field of discipline-based astronomy education research by analyzing graduate degrees earned, faculty involved, and major milestones, such as the appearance of archival, peer-reviewed professional journals. Astronomy education research as a field of discipline-based education research has made notable strides in the past few decades that distinguish it from the K-12 education research realm, and, in spite of some setbacks, continues to move forward as a growing and vibrant community of scholars.

Astrophysics, and how to attract young people into Physics

We report our experience in bringing science into US and French classrooms. We participated in the US scientific educational program Project ASTRO. It is based on a partnership between a school teacher and an astronomer. They together design and realize simple and interesting scientific activities for the children to learn and enjoy science. We present four hands-on activities we realized in a 4th-grade class (10 yr-old kids) in Tucson (USA) in 2002-2003. Among the covered topics were: the Solar System, the Sun (helioseismology) and the Galaxies. We also present a similar experience done in two classrooms in 2005, in Châtenay-Malabry (France) in partnership with an amateur astronomy association (Aphélie), and discuss future activities. This is a pleasant and rewarding activity, extremely well appreciated by the children and the school teachers. It furthermore promotes already at a young age the excitement of science, and provides concrete examples of the scientific methodology.

A Brief History Of Publishing Papers On Astronomy Education Research

Journal of Astronomy & Earth Sciences Education (JAESE), 2015

While some research had been done on K-12 and planetarium astronomy teaching from the 1930's to the 1980's, the growth of research on college physics education offered astronomy education researchers a model for examining techniques for teaching introductory college astronomy survey "Astronomy 101" courses as well. This early research was published in widely scattered journals and rarely reached the practitioners of astronomy education. The need to inform and unite the community of astronomy educators led to the birth of the journal "Astronomy Education Review," whose history and sudden death is analyzed. This paper provides a short history of publishing astronomy education research results and provides context for the advent of the new "Journal of Astronomy & Earth Sciences Education" (JAESE).