Authentic Data to Promote Active Learning: Carla Hernandez at the OAE’s 4th Shaw-IAU Workshop
0Title: Using authentic exoplanet data to promote active learning of physics and mathematics in schools.
Summary: Implementation of activities to bridge the gap between frontier astrophysics and the classroom.
This was a talk given at the 4th Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education, organised by the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE, http//astro4edu.org).
Chile benefits from a favourable position to develop astronomy; however, teacher training in the area is low, and there are few opportunities for students to learn about frontier research. To address this challenge, we built a group of astrophysicists, science education specialists, and high school teachers to co-construct active-learning activities using exoplanet data for physics and mathematics classes. Our team worked with almost a hundred studentsfromthreeschoolstopilotouractivities. The results show that teaching frontier astrophysics in school classrooms is possible and promotes students’ interest in science. We believe this project contributes to bridging the gap between astrophysics research and teaching science in school.
About Carla Hernandez:
Carla Hernández is an assistant professor in the physics department at the Universidad de Santiago de Chile. She previously completed her masters and PhD in science education at the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain. Currently, she is a member of the IAU National Astronomy Education Coordinator Team Chile (NAEC Chile) and a researcher in astronomy education at Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Astrophysics and Space Science (CIRAS).
About the 4th Shaw-IAU Workshop:
The topic for this year’s Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education is ‘Leveraging the potential of astronomy in formal education’ and is scheduled to run 15 to 17 November 2022 as a fully virtual event on Hopin as in previous years. This year’s Shaw-IAU Workshop focuses on the role of astronomy in the core regions of formal, primary and secondary, education: How do we teach astronomy as its own subject? What is the role of astronomy in teaching physics or chemistry – or in communicating such a central future topic as climate change? In sessions marked with a * we aim to hear specifically from teachers. We also address the question of how to approach those who set the framework for teaching: How can you get your administration, or at a much higher level: your education ministry, to listen to you? Last but not least we look at how to bridge the divide between the fundamentals that are commonly taught in school and results from cutting-edge research, which tend to be fascinating to students and the general public alike. he workshop was organised by the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (http://astro4edu.org). More details can be found on: https://astro4edu.org/shaw-iau/4th-shaw-iau-workshop/
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