A Summer Camp Experience of Primary Student: Let's Learn Astronomy, Explore the Space Summer Camp (original) (raw)
Astronomy Education for Preschool Children: Exploring the Sky
lnternational Electronic Journal of Elementary Education
The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of astronomy activities in science education with preschool children through semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted with the children before and after the implementation of the activities. Five activities about astronomy were conducted for five weeks in practice. A total of 15 preschool children (seven boys and eight girls) in the age range from 60 to 72 months participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews were individually conducted, digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by the researchers of the study. The related data were collected by semi-structured interviews prepared by the researchers of the study. It was revealed that the preschool children were curious about the "Discovery of the Sky" subject. They were interested and enthusiastic to learn the subject matter, and they were positively affected by the practices. It has been concluded that new concepts related to the subject of "Discovery of the Sky" have developed by using different methods and techniques.
Children's knowledge of astronomy and its change in the course of learning
Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2007
This study examined the nature of 5-, 6-, and 7-year-old children's (n = 113) knowledge of astronomy and the process of knowledge change during learning. Children's pre-existing knowledge was assessed by questions and drawing tasks. About half of the children were taught elementary concepts of astronomy in small groups and afterwards all participants' knowledge was assessed again. Most children could be categorized as having fragmented astronomy knowledge and the proportion of non-scientific models first proposed by . Mental models of the Earth: A study of conceptual change in childhood. Cognitive Psychology, 24, was no greater than could be expected by chance. Children seemed to acquire factual information rather easily and therefore early instruction should introduce the core facts related to the topics. Some children over-generalized new knowledge very easily, indicating that the materials used in teaching may promote the development of non-scientific notions and that those notions must be addressed promptly to avoid the development of coherent non-scientific models.
Alternative Conceptions of Elementary school students in Astronomy
EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (IJMR), 2021
Students do not come into formal instruction without any pre-instructional knowledge or beliefs about the phenomena and concepts to be taught in astronomy. Besides, Children develop their everyday concepts about the world based on daily observations, from text books and conversations with adults. During the process of acquisition of this knowledge, learners may view the world in the form of weird concepts which are deviant from accepted notion of knowledge, termed as alternative conceptions or alternative frameworks or misconceptions. The acquired knowledge of elementary astronomy is a part of basic scientific literacy. Alternative conceptions in astronomy are a road block to new scientific learning. If the alternative conceptions are not addressed at the elementary level, the probability of sustaining the alternative conceptions may continue at higher learning as well. Therefore, it is important for teachers to have a clear understanding of the alternative conceptions that students bring with them into the science classroom. This research paper attempts to identify alternative conceptions of elementary school students in certain astronomical topics like apparent motion of sun and moon, day and night, seasons, phases of the moon etc. The sample consists of 56 seventh grade students from a school in Hyderabad. An Astronomy test consisting of six open ended questions prepared by the researcher was administered to the students. Students’ responses were analysed to elicit information about their knowledge and understanding of astronomical phenomena and to identify any alternative conceptions held by them. Results showed that students exhibited many alternative conceptions about these astronomical phenomena. Implications and recommendations were made for teachers to integrate well – constructed pedagogical design in the teaching - learning process, so that alternative conceptions in elementary astronomy could be redirected to conceptual change among learners.
Middle School Students’ Misconceptions about the Concepts of Astronomy
International Education Studies, 2018
The purpose of the current study is to conduct developmental comparison of the middle school students’ misconceptions about the concepts of astronomy. The sampling of the study is comprised of middle school students attending a private school located in the west of Turkey. A total of 144 students participated in the study. In order to determine the students’ perceptions of the concepts of astronomy, a data collection tool consisting of five open-ended questions was developed by the researchers. The data collected through this data collection tool was subjected to content analysis; on the basis of the analysis of the students’ responses, codes were determined and on the basis of these codes, themes were constructed. The results are presented as percentages and frequencies. When the findings of the study were generally evaluated, it was concluded that the students have misconceptions about the concepts of astronomy.
Young Children’s Ideas About Astronomy
Journal of Astronomy & Earth Sciences Education (JAESE)
Young children express interest and understanding about science topics through everyday conversations with parents. Little is known about how much interest preschool-aged children show in astronomy. Using a diary report methodology, we asked parents in three communities in coastal California to keep track of conversations with their three to five-year-old children about nature. The communities varied in demographics, including one community with predominantly European-American families, one community with predominantly Latinx families, and one community with families from a variety of backgrounds. Overall, young children showed interest in astronomy through initiation and engagement in conversations about a variety of astronomical objects and events; this was consistent across gender, age, and community. Across all three communities, conversations about astronomy accounted for approximately 15% of the conversations about nature, ranking in the top three most frequent topics for each...
Teaching/Learning Astronomy at the Elementary School Level
International Astronomical Union Colloquium
There are those who argue that children have little familiarity with the sky and that the study of astronomy should be put off until they're older. We believe, on the other hand, that children have an intimate daily rapport with the sky, the sun and moon especially, based on genuine affection for these celestial bodies which is often expressed in their fantasies, reminiscent of ancient mythology and present-day primitive cultures. Their initial conceptions of celestial objects and phenomena bring to mind ancient philosophical conceptions and the kind of erroneous thinking induced by present-day culture and mass media, and make us aware of how difficult it is to develop personal perceptions and of the powerful emotions that prevent or inhibit us from building new ones.
Daily life astronomy activity and its contribution to children and educators in science education
EPJ Web of Conferences, 2019
Daily life astronomy activity in nurseries and after school care clubs has many aspects to improve children's and educator's scientific views and skills. Though these activities are casual and ordinary ones for many nurseries and after school care clubs, aspects of science education are found in many ways reflecting the activity referring to the UNAWE Evaluation Guide. This indicates that if we intend to promote science education in nurseries and preschools, we do not necessarily have to introduce new activity, but that the formative assessment to pick up science in daily life activities is sufficient. This can encourage educators to be selfconfident in implementing science education. The improvement of selfconfidence is observed in teacher-training students of primary and preschool education during university class when they learned that they already had skills for daily life astronomy education. Thus, daily life astronomy education is not only an interesting and exciting activity for children but it also contributes to improving the educator's confidence and hence their skills of science education.
Small Astronomers (science education in early childhood)
Children are inherently curious about science subjects, and astronomy offers an interesting theme within these subjects. In this context it is thought that understanding the preschool child's knowledge about astronomy may be a starting point for astronomy education at a young age. The purpose of this research is to investigate children's knowledge about the basic astronomy concepts. The study was undertaken with 103 children aged 4-6 years, attending various lower and upper socioeconomic level public and private preschools. The data of the study were collected using the AKTPC test created by the researchers, and analyzed using ANOVA and T-test. At the end of study, age and gender variables didn't lead to a significiant difference in terms of the astronomy knowledge of the children, whereas there was a significiant difference in favor of children at the upper socioeconomic level. Also, it was seen that children were aware of basic astronomy concepts, and they used their ability in terms of the scientific process to explain astronomic events.
Astronomy Education: Research Paving the Road to Enthusiasm for Studying Science
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, 2010
A brief analysis is given of the need for more trained people in science and technology versus the declined interest in studying sciences. In highlighting some of the aspects of research in astronomy, arguments are presented why astronomy education is by far the most attractive way to stimulate young people to study sciences later on. The availability of vast sets of scientific data with software instruments for instructional use is emphasized. Attention is also given to the changing world of young people, and to the needs and problems in Africa. Finally, some conclusions are given of how astronomy can contribute to transform education in sciences into an education for young people that attracts them towards science & technology.
Exploring Children's Creative Imagination in Conceptual Understanding of the Astronomical World
Journal of Indian Education (NCERT), 2022
One of the fascinating traits is that children have inborn potentials and intrinsic qualities that often make them wonder about the terrestrial and celestial worlds and continuously explore the world they experience. Astronomy and space science can a strongly appeal to children. Astronomy is one of the best ways to introduce the spirit of science and creative imagination to children. The current study aims to examine how children's creative imagination contribute to their understanding of astronomical phenomena. The sample consisted of 36 Grade 9 students from a high school located in Hyderabad, India. An instrument called 'Test of Creative Imagery Abilities' (TCIA) was administered to assess children's ability to draw creative images. To test their knowledge of astronomy, 30 probes on different astronomical topics were administered. Children's explanations to the probes were categorised as naive, synthetic and scientific. The research was quantitative in nature. Correlational research has shown that children's conceptual understanding of astronomy is significantly correlated to their creative imagination. The correlation coefficient of the overall score of creative imagination and conceptual understanding in astronomy was found to be 0.482 (p < .05). Though this study had established a moderate but positive relationship between creative imagination and astronomy understanding, the researcher suggests that the introduction of visual creative imagination exercises allow students to gain a better understanding of abstract astronomical phenomena, and teachers should develop strategies that enhance children's imagination.
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.
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.
Communicating Astronomy to Children in Unconventional Locations
Communicating astronomy to children can take place in many locations outside of conventional learning spaces such as classrooms, planetariums or museums. For example, book or toy shops can provide great backdrops for communicating astronomy. It is in these kinds of places, full of distractions, that finding entertaining ways to communicate concepts becomes all the more important. Used in the right way what might initially seem like downsides to these spaces can quickly be turned into advantages. This article explores the role of these locations in communicating astronomy and how they can be used as effective, and fun, forums for engagement.
Secondary School Students' Perceptions About Space Camp: Space Camp Turkey, 2020
The aim of this research is to investigate the effects of outdoor learning environments such as space camp on the perceptions of secondary school students about astronomy, career choices, and development of 21st century skills. Izmir space camp trip was organized in 2019. Qualitative study was conducted with secondary school 5th grade students attending the space camp (N = 24). Semi-structured interview form, focus group interview, space camp evaluation form and researcher observation notes were used as data collection tools. Data analysis was evaluated with content analysis and open coding. Students participated in the program of stars and planets adventure. In this program, the participants had the opportunity to use astronaut training simulators that give the feeling of living and working in space, to perform simulated shuttle missions, to learn new information from experts in the field and to get more detailed information about the professions. At the end of the study, it was revealed that out of school learning environments such as space camps had a positive effect on students. As a result of the study, it has been observed that the students perform their duties in a team collaboration in shuttle mission and develop their critical, questioning and thinking skills by experiencing the discussions about the subject with the experts. In addition, the misconception about Pluto was also determined.
Astronomy Education Review
This research project aimed to identify and analyze Mexican primary school students' ideas about the components of the solar system. In particular, this study focused on conceptions of the solar system and representations of the dynamics of the solar system based on the functional and structural models that students make in school. Using a Euclidean distance-based cluster analysis, six different models of the solar system were identified. The results of this study suggest that these models do not specifically correlate to one school grade. The identified models vary in complexity, not only by the number of components but also by the dynamic interactions and distributions of the elements that comprise the models. This diversity of models shows that students do not simply reproduce the diagrams in their textbooks or the diagrams that they have access to in their environment. Though the oldest children's models approach textbook diagrams in the more complex models, up and down ...
Astronomy: Minds-on the Universe. Supplemental Teaching Activities for Grades K-8
1993
Research has confirmed the powerful nature of activities that allow children to manipulate concrete objects and to explore physically their mental representation. These findings have been simplified and widely discussed with the term "hands-on" and have been largely accepted. However, overuse of the term has left many educators insensitive to its importance. Hands-on activities allow children to test not only the proposed educational ideas but their own preconceived notions as well. If we dropped an object and it rose to the ceiling, our whole world would become suspect. The implications of this simple experiment illustrate the power of hands-on activities to permit children to test and re-test their ideas. Putting it all together, the most powerful science teaching incorporates activities which start where students are, challenge their prior conceptions to cover new possibilities, permit meaningful interactions among groups of students, provide hands-on exploration of materials and ideas, and, lastly, encourage students to develop skills such as modeling, with which they can acquire more sophisticated understandings.