Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of illustrations
- Preface
- Introduction
- Part I Astronomy in the curriculum around the world
- Part II Astronomy education research
- Part III Educating students
- Part IV Educating teachers
- Part V Astronomy and pseudoscience
- Part VI Astronomy and culture
- Part VII Astronomy in developing countries
- Part VIII Public outreach in astronomy
- Introduction
- 17 What makes informal education programs successful? (Total Solar Eclipse 2001 – live from Africa)
- 18 The role of science centers and planetariums
- 19 Science education for the new century – a European perspective
- 20 Communicating astronomy to the public
- Poster highlights
- Part IX The education programs of the International Astronomical Union
- Part X Conclusions
- Author index
- Subject index
Introduction
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 May 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of illustrations
- Preface
- Introduction
- Part I Astronomy in the curriculum around the world
- Part II Astronomy education research
- Part III Educating students
- Part IV Educating teachers
- Part V Astronomy and pseudoscience
- Part VI Astronomy and culture
- Part VII Astronomy in developing countries
- Part VIII Public outreach in astronomy
- Introduction
- 17 What makes informal education programs successful? (Total Solar Eclipse 2001 – live from Africa)
- 18 The role of science centers and planetariums
- 19 Science education for the new century – a European perspective
- 20 Communicating astronomy to the public
- Poster highlights
- Part IX The education programs of the International Astronomical Union
- Part X Conclusions
- Author index
- Subject index
Summary
The conference on which this book is based focused on astronomy education in the schools, where our society passes on knowledge and understanding to the younger generation in a systematic and formal way. In the proceedings of an astronomy education conference held in Maryland in 1996, however, Andrew Fraknoi wrote as follows:
Let me begin by posing the following question: where does astronomy education take place in the United States? Those readers who teach will probably say that it takes place in classrooms like theirs, anywhere from first grade through university. But I want to argue that astronomy education happens in many other places besides the formal classroom. It happens in hundreds of planetariums and museums around the country; it happens at meetings of amateur astronomy groups; it happens when someone reads a newspaper or in front of television and radio sets; it happens while someone is engrossed in a popular book on astronomy, or leafs through a magazine such as Sky and Telescope; it happens in youth groups taking an overnight hike and learning about the stars; and it happens when someone surfs the astronomy resources on the Internet. When we consider astronomy education, its triumphs and tribulations, we must be sure that we don't focus too narrowly on academia and omit the many places that it can and does happen outside the classroom.
Astronomers, their institutions, and their organizations actively promote understanding of astronomy through “outreach” in all of these ways. In the USA, such outreach has recently been formalized by NASA's requirement that major projects have Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) activities.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Teaching and Learning AstronomyEffective Strategies for Educators Worldwide, pp. 215 - 216Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2005