Incorporating Astronomy Research Into the Classroom: Fraser Lewis at the OAE’s 4th Shaw-IAU Workshop
0Title: Incorporating astronomy research into the Classroom.
Summary: How robotic telescopes and their data archives can encourage students in astronomy and STEM subjects.
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).
As part of my work with the Faulkes Telescope Project, I present examples of work done with students in various fields of astronomy research. Examples include studies of black hole X-ray binaries, open clusters, supernovae and exoplanets. In many cases, students follow the entire scientific process from target selection to observation to analysis and conclusions/reflection. While allowing students to learn, and be inspired by, astronomy, they are also able to practice implement transferable skills though the medium of astronomy. These skills are particularly prevalent in the fields of IT and maths.
About Fraser Lewis:
Fraser is Director of Research for the Faulkes Telescope Project, active in astronomy education for 17 years. He delivers workshops and produces online resources for teachers and school students. He is PI for the Erasmus + program LaSciL, developing online resources around themes such as ‘big data’ as part of a post-Covid world. He is part of the Erasmus + project, CliC-PoLiT, examining how astronomy can contribute to issues around light pollution and climate change. Fraser is a member of the National Schools’ Observatory team, at Liverpool John Moores University, who provide outreach and educational resources for the Liverpool Telescope. Fraser is a research astronomer in X-ray binaries especially their behaviour at optical wavelength
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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