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Currently, the population shows a growing interest in astronomy-related content. The contact with informal spaces, such as planetariums and observatories, can help to better problematize the subject with children and adults. This paper presents the proposal made by the Johannes Kepler Planetarium to introduce astronomy in a playful way for elementary school students in the city of Santo André. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some blended methods of teaching-learning were successfully used in teaching the astronomy and astrometry of asteroids to students in Computer Sciences at the University of Craiova, using real astronomical data about celestial objects from our Solar System, obtained from the Astronomical Observatory Isaac Newton (La Palma, Spain). The students were asked to develop some small scripts in order to facilitate the detection and the analysis of data for new discovered asteroids, a request that improved their capacities to understand and apply various modern concepts of Computer Graphics, Data Base and Web design. This approach to learning brings new challenges for the students, new opportunities for the process of professional training in Computer Sciences and provided good result in very short term, the students acquiring very fast the necessary skills to approach both the professional level of Web programming and the modern research area of Computational Astronomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that the number of women in scientific careers is significantly lower than the number of men, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) areas. Considering that science should be used for the benefit of all, by excluding women from the production process of scientific knowledge, we are giving up of 50% of the intellectual capacity to different science fields. Thus, the Museum of Astronomy and Related Sciences, whose mission is to expand society's access to scientific knowledge, promotes the project "Girls in the Museum", aimed at the continuous education of seven high-school female students in topics of astronomy with the goal of stimulating them into liking science. Concurrently with the project, interviews were conducted to evaluate the initiative according to the participants' perspectives, as well as to understand their perceptions about science prior and after six months of the project. We found that the participants were satisfied with the format and content of the project, comprised of theoretical talks and practical workshops. The resulting discourses show that they now view science as something closer to their lives and are more confident to promote scientific discussions. These results show the importance of providing young females with role models they can look up, especially at the age when they are about to make decisions concerning their future career. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work is the report of an astronomy non-formal education expedition carried out by the GalileoMobile initiative in the Paiter Suruí indigenous communities, in the Brazilian Amazon, that took place in November 2016. This ethnic group remained "officially uncontacted" by non-natives until the late 1960's, when the population dropped significantly and they faced deep changes in their way of living and traditions. Nowadays, the Paiter Suruí are seeking ways to maintain their cultural identity and land. Thus, differently from previous GalileoMobile itinerant projects, which had the goal of bringing modern astronomy closer to youngsters of regions with scarce access to science outreach actions, this particular expedition had the goal of establishing an exchange of knowledge related to astronomy, promoting a dialogue with the members of this group to understand and record their relationship with the sky. The ground team, comprised of three astronomers, one filmmaker and one anthropologist, undertook the study of various academic works on ethno and cultural astronomy, as well as specific texts on science education in traditional communities and ethnography of Brazilian indigenous peoples. During the expedition, interviews with the Paiter Suruí elders were held, having as a starting point astronomy outreach activities such as the sky observation with telescopes. We were able to collect three myths related to the Sun, Moon and rainbow. The result of activities, interviews and transcripts were recorded in a series of videos that will be returned to the community, so that they can be used in schools and community centres as educational material for the preservation of the Paiter Suruí culture, as well as a resource for a detailed ethnographic study of their astronomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astrobiology is a multidisciplinary field related to the sciences of Astronomy, Chemistry, Biology and Geology. An optional Astrobiology course has been taught in the Astronomy department of Ege University (Turkey) since 2013. The main objectives of this introductory course are to introduce and familiarize the astronomy students to the fundamentals of astrobiology. In this study, 4-year teaching experience of Astrobiology course has been examined. Course objectives, teaching methods, learning activities and evaluation methods were discussed. To evaluate the students' learning experiences and knowledge gains anonymous surveys and knowledge assessments were used. Furthermore, additional surveys were made to understand the interests and tendencies of the students in chosing this optional course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tardigrades are microscopic organisms that have gained importance in astrobiology in recent years. They have extreme survival ability and can enter into a state of latency for several years called cryptobiosis. Due to our interest in conducting experiments with tardigrades to complement the laboratory exercises with students in the course of astrobiology, we bought samples of tardigrades in the cryptobiotic state. A sample of these were cultured at room temperature (18oC) with an oxygenation system, and fed with Spirulina algae every week. We found that in a few weeks tardigrades were producing eggs normally. This species, H. dujardini, has been cultured before and it is a good sample for culture as we saw. This species provides a good sustainable culture and is inexpensive and easy to produce tardigrades for didactic purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contents related to Astronomy studied in basic education in Brazil are not always adequately worked, as their exposure in the media is often full of sensationalism, however, it is in this environment that students form their opinions about this science. Therefore, in this work we present the possible Social Representations that students of the Integrated High School of the Federal Institute of Alagoas (IFAL) have with the term inductor Astronomy. Additionally, we identify how these Social Representations were elaborated. There is a basic and descriptive research, and the procedures for obtaining the data occurred in the form of a survey, the subjects involved were 653 students from the Integrated High School. The results indicate that the surveyed students have social representations of the object Astronomy, which are based on elements from the formal education space, and also disclosed in the media, in addition, demonstrate that the students have information about Astronomy, and a value position in relation to this science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors conducted two classes for undergraduate students. The aim of these experimental classes is to find better way to reduce the number of students with misconceptions related to the Moon's phase change and increase the number of students with correct understanding of a lunar eclipse. To make deep knowledge of a lunar eclipse, in one class, we carried out practical work utilizing the scale size model kits. In another class, the students performed the work utilizing conceptual model kits. Finally, we found that the scale size model kit could reduce the number of students who believe the Moon phase change occurs due to a lunar eclipse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polarimetry plays an important part in observational astronomy, but it is all too often given limited attention in astronomy textbooks. Coupled with a sometimes confusing mathematical introduction, students may feel that polarization is a difficult subject best left for study at a different time, or worse, not at all. Additionally, polarimetric observations and analysis are not typical exercises students are likely to engage in as part of an observational astronomy course. Over the past few years students at Virginia Military Institute have used an optical polarimeter, which was designed and constructed in-house, on the 20 cm Cassegrain telescope at the VMI Observatory to study the polarization of stars. These observations have enhanced their astronomical knowledge and allowed them the opportunity to gain valuable experience using this important technique. The subsequent analysis of stellar polarization has led to a better understanding of the mathematics of polarization, its interpretation, and statistical treatment. In this paper I describe the design and construction of an optical polarimeter suitable for a small college observatory and outline the observing and data analysis strategies. I will also present observations that range from brief introduction exercises that can be included as part of an observational astronomy course to longer programs suitable for undergraduate research projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is observed that the technologies have invaded the classrooms, providing increasingly attractive teaching methods. Technologies have challenged school institutions to keep up with this new reality. In some cases, the technologies offered aim, to a certain extent, to meet some educational needs of students and soften deficiencies in classroom teaching. The arrival of digital technologies in classrooms brings great advances, but also brings many uncertainties and insecurities, giving rise to new tensions, new possibilities and new challenges. With today's technologies, the school environment can transform into a meaningful, face-to-face and digital learning environment, making students more active, motivating them to learn and search all the time. The present work aims to present the advantages and disadvantages of these digital methods, as well as to demonstrate the applicability of these technologies in the current daily life of school institutions. It also presents some important aspects about the use of technologies in the learning process, discussing how the use of virtual simulations software can contribute to the teaching of Physics. To obtain data from the students, a questionnaire with seven questions was used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many undergraduate radio astronomy courses are unable to give a detailed treatment of aperture synthesis due to time constraints and limited math backgrounds of students. We have taken a laboratory-based approach to teaching radio interferometry using a set of college-level, table-top exercises. These are performed with the Very Small Radio Telescope (VSRT), an interferometer developed at the Haystack Observatory using satellite TV electronics as detectors and compact fluorescent light bulbs as microwave signal sources. The hands-on experience provided by the VSRT in these labs allows students to gain a conceptual understanding of radio interferometry and aperture synthesis without the rigorous mathematical background traditionally required. The data are quickly and easily processed using a user-friendly data analysis Java package, VSRTI_Plotter.jar. This software can also be used in the absence of the equipment as an interactive computer activity to demonstrate an interferometer's responses to assorted surface brightness distributions. The students also gain some familiarity with Fourier transforms and an appreciation for the Fourier relations in interferometry using another Java package, the Tool for Interactive Fourier Transforms (TIFT). We have successfully used these tools in multiple offerings of our radio astronomy course at Union College [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results of a Kyiv Planetarium audience survey are discussed. Kyiv Planetarium has a "Big Zeiss 4" projector, a fulldome projection system, a dome 23 meters across, and 300 seats. Having presented a program to up to 300 visitors at once, it is not easy to examine the general public understanding of basic astronomy, to get feedback on the program, and to estimate the educational impact on the public. Strategically designed questionnaires were used to find out what are visitors' personal experiences and previous knowledge. Questions in the questionnaire can be conditionally divided into several groups: - a) personal data (age, education); - b) astronomical knowledge and observational experience (attendance of astronomy lessons at school, observation of interesting astronomical phenomena such as eclipses, comets, meteors, experience of watching the sky through a telescope, age of the Earth and the Universe, reasons for seasonal changes and Moon phases, the brightest star, constellations that the visitor knows, number of planets in the Solar system, the biggest planet in the Solar system, how often do visitors read about space related topics); - c) visitors' personal beliefs like their attitude towards horoscopes and extra-terrestrial life; and - d) visitors' attitude towards planetarium itself, likes and dislikes, topics for future programs, expectations, sources of information about Planetarium, and number of their visits to planetarium. I discuss the results from 147 questionnaires that were gathered back, the most common misconceptions and public beliefs are revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a preliminary empirical study of social-science and humanities students enrolled in teacher-training programs at two German universities, the authors have found a disparaging view of technology and science among said students. Their material knowledge of technology and science is the result of content they learned in high-school themselves. After having graduated, they chose social-sciences or humanities as their subjects. There is little or no overlap between science and engineering subjects and social-science and humanities subjects in teacher training programs. Apart from the students choices, this is also the consequence of an institutionally established and strict segregation of the academic fields that does not, unlike in other university systems, require the students to enroll in at least basic interdisciplinary courses. The result for science and technology awareness among the students is problematic, to say the least. While their knowledge of science and technology -being the product of high-school education - is often not up to date and also lacking in current developments, their moral and ethical judgement about the implications of scientific research and use of technology is strong. The preliminary study also showed that the students are interested in new technological and scientific developments, they just lack the ability to include this into their worldview, which is very strongly influenced by their choice of subjects in the humanities and social-sciences. Teaching these students has convinced the authors that their lack of technology and science knowledge combined with their inherent tendency to judge science and technology from the point of view of their respective field, impairs their ability to take an adequate part in science and technology discourse. Their awareness, and thus, their competence to rationally engage with science and technology is lacking. That is in part due to the depiction of science and technology in humanities and social-science courses, and on the other hand due to a lack of current science and technology education as part of a humanities and social-sciences program. The result becomes even more alarming if we assume that the future teachers will continue to relay their heavily biased opinions on science and technology in general, as well as their deficient knowledge of specific technologies to their future students, thus generating a vicious cycle of inadequate technology and science awareness. As the authors' study has shown, these students are really interested in science and technology, they just lack key competencies to make an analytical connec- tion between their field of choice (humanities and social sciences) and technology and science, without resorting to moral and ethical judgement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present our experience teaching the subject 'Astrobiology 101' ("Introducción a la Astrobiología", in Spanish), given in the University of Baja California at Ensenada, Mexico, since 2004 up to the present. The place of Astrobiology in Mexico, as well as the local academic context in Baja California are presented, as we consider that the multidisciplinary academic environment plays an important role in the motivation of our students. We describe the course itself, its materials, and resources. The course was designed based on classical books as well as news, academic papers, and internet sources. After seven editions of the course, we have noted that making practical experiments improves the understanding of concepts, ideas, and also strengths the interaction among students with different majors. This course has received support by means of an educational grant which objective is to compile all the experimental and hands-on activities in two manuals: one for students and the other for the teachers These manuals will be available to all the Spanish-speaker teachers who want to teach the full course or part of it, as well as those only interested in the hands-on activities. Locally, the establishment of the new Astrobiology Laboratory, in the Institute of Astronomy (UNAM, Campus Ensenada), surely will help us to increase the opportunities on research and education for our students, as well as visiting students and teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Night-Sky Observation Program (POC, acronym in Portuguese for Programa de Observação do Céu) is the most traditional education activity run by the Museum of Astronomy and Related Sciences (MAST). It takes place twice a week and has an annual participation of 2,400 people. It starts with a brief talk and is followed by the observation with MAST's telescopes (one of them being over a century old and other modern amateur models). The present work is the first research conducted aimed at POC's evaluation according to the participants' perspectives in its 33 years of existence. The data were collected using two instruments: a questionnaire, distributed to the participants prior to the activity, and an interview, conducted after the observations. We analysed the data using the Discourse of Collective Subject methodology, which allowed us to understand thoughts and values of the participants on a given topic. We find that the participants have the habit of gazing at the sky, even if for contemplation purposes only, and that the talk makes the public feel more prepared to observe the sky. It was frequently mentioned, though, that the language of the talk should be more oriented to children. We also find that the public expects to observe planets, stars, and constellations, and very few of them are disappointed with the whole experience. The participants also perceive the historical value of the old refractor and declare that the activity brought them feelings of wonderment. We concluded that our instruments and methodology are suitable to evaluate similar sky-observation activities. As a next step, we will conduct a survey to identify worldwide institutions that also use historically valuable telescopes in their public observations with the goal of exchanging experiences and discussing the use of such instruments with education purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are becoming the textbooks of the 21st century. I describe what a MOOC is, and try to answer the questions: Why make a MOOC? Who are MOOCs for? and How to make a MOOC? Anxiety about MOOCs replacing teachers is largely misplaced. I describe my on-going experience of putting together an astrobiology MOOC for the Australian National University. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this talk is to reflect about the achievements and challenges in Astronomy Education Research (AER). First, the answers given to questions asked of members of the IAU Division C's Commission 1 and Working Group on Theory and Methods in Astronomy Education are discussed. Next, the goals of astronomy teaching are discussed considering content, methods, levels, resources and purposes. Given the demands and complexity of education today and the role of astronomy in this context, the potential of education research is also evaluated, taking into account knowledge, practices, policies and the training of teachers. Finally, graduate studies are encouraged, new lines of research, and surveys to identify and advertise the dispersed AE literature seeking to raise the visibility of authors and institutions are suggested. Much of the work already performed remains unknown to astronomers, because they belong to a different area of theoretical and methodological framework, and because it occurs in specific different contexts of production, culture, curriculum, materials and application. Moreover, advertising AER in universities and schools to professors and teachers should consolidate this community and establish links between astronomers and educators in general, allowing future collaborations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to present the results obtained with the execution of a course of basic subjects in Astronomy for university students of Physics in face to face and in distance learning courses that were organized through Potentially Significant Teaching Units (PSTU). It is an applied and descriptive research, and the technical procedures adopted were survey (pre-test, post-test and qualification questionnaire) and technical action research (application of the course through the PSTU). Through statistical analysis the results show that the difference of the means (before and after the course) of the students is statistically significant, indicating a possible evolution in the basic knowledge of these in relation to the themes of Astronomy proposed in the didactic sequences. In addition, according to the qualification test the activities developed in the course administered, created a favorable climate for learning, thus indicating the success of the same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a teaching module focused on stellar structure, functioning and evolution. Drawing from literature in astronomy education, we identified three key ideas which are fundamental in understanding stars' functioning: spectral analysis, mechanical and thermal equilibrium, energy and nuclear reactions. The module is divided into four phases, in which the above key ideas and the physical mechanisms involved in stars' functioning are gradually introduced. The activities combine previously learned laws in mechanics, thermodynamics, and electromagnetism, in order to get a complete picture of processes occurring in stars. The module was piloted with two intact classes of secondary school students (N = 59 students, 17–18 years old) and its efficacy in addressing students' misconceptions and wrong ideas was tested using a ten-question multiple choice questionnaire. Results support the effectiveness of the proposed activities. Implications for the teaching of advanced physics topics using stars as a fruitful context are briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do people learn in general and study astronomy in particular? To develop a coherent educational policy we need an appropriate theory. Does learning consist of the incremental addition of individual "bits" of information into the mind? Or is learning an active process that transforms the mind of the learner? Among different theories on how people learn are: Behaviorism, Neuroscience, Right Brain vs. Left Brain, Communities of Practice, Control Theory, Observational Learning (Social learning theory), Vygotsky and Social Cognition, Learning Styles, Piaget's theory, Constructivism, Brain-based Learning, Multiple Intelligences. These theories are described in brief. All of the above mentioned learning theories may be applicable to some extent in the case of astronomy education in a planetarium environment. Especially the Multiple Intelligences theory can be tested perfectly while teaching in Planetarium and thus should be taken into more thorough consideration. It is discussed what a planetarium may offer to the audience with different types of intelligences, according to the Multiple Intelligences approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In general, Space Sciences data exploration is thought to be suitable for people who do not have Neurological Disorders (ND) that may impair reading (RI), and are not blind or visually impaired (BVI). Data exploration methods used in these fields are generally visual, and do not provide the accessibility to allow full participation of blind and visually impaired individuals in the field. This has been the case even after evidence that sound increases the sensitivity to events in data that would otherwise be undetected. A set of tools that guarantees a thorough data inspection, and assures the access to the same amount and quality of information to all, is useful for everyone. The present project, devoted to design a new user centered software to produce audio-visual outputs from astrophysical data, integrates multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary astronomers, engineers, computer specialists, software designers, educators, disability specialists, bioengineers, neurobiologists, and sociologists, both blind and sighted, and addresses the topics of accessibility to astronomical data, The possibility of exploring the bibliographic databases (ADSABS, among others), creation of a new multimodal access prototype, creation of an accessible, user-centered (from back end to front end), human-computer interface suitable for collection, sonification and analysis of astrophysical data, and the efficiency, utility and effectiveness of the resource in different cultural environments and at different levels of expertise. In this contribution, we present the first results related to the creation and application of the techniques and tools proposed, taking into account that the focus of this research is on the knowledge in the field of physics and astrophysics, but can be scalable to other areas of human activity so that people with other learning styles can have "equal opportunities". Finally, this project is based on the premises of addressing the technical challenges in basic research to achieve the promised benefits of Big Data, which is of world-wide interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor quality lighting not only impedes astronomy research and our right to see a starry night sky, but creates safety issues, affects human circadian sensitivities, disrupts ecosystems, and wastes billions of dollars/year in energy consumption. It also leads to excess carbon emissions. How do you change the mindset of society that is used to turning night into day? You educate the next generation on quality lighting. As an outcome of the International Year of Light 2015, the U.S. National Optical Astronomy Observatory's Education and Public Outreach group has produced a Quality Lighting Teaching (QLT) Kit. The kits are designed around problem-based learning scenarios. The kit's six activities allow students to address real lighting problems that relate to wildlife, sky glow, aging eyes, energy consumption, safety, and light trespass. The activities are optimized for 11-14 year olds, but can be expanded to younger and older. All materials are in English and Spanish. Most of the activities can be done within in a few minutes during class or afterschool in the form of stations or as stand-alones. Everything one needs for the six activities is included. Tutorial videos on how to do the activities can be found at www.noao.edu/education/qltkit.php. Ninety-two kits have been distributed to 32 countries with the help of SPIE–The International Society for Optical Engineering, CIE–International Commission on Illuminations, OSA–The Optical Society, IDA–the International Dark Sky Association, and the IAU OAD–Office of Astronomy Development. Highlights from the initial program evaluation will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Misconceptions about astronomy concepts are found quite regularly in students, even after they have taken astronomy courses. There are numerous reasons for this [1, 2]. The authors in this paper have focused on the possibility that the existence of these misconceptions could be attributed to the misconceptions of the teacher-instructor and its transmission down to the students that he/she has been teaching. Keeping this in mind, the authors have prepared a questionnaire consisting of assertions split into 5 sections. The teacher-instructors were asked to gauge the truthfulness of the assertions in a survey. The responses to the section on Calendars and the section on Sun and Moon are covered in this article. It was concluded that the respondents of the survey face serious skill deficits in imparting conceptually correct astronomical knowledge to their students. This deficit in skill is not only due to a lack of information on the subject but also due to an inability/unwillingness of the teacher-instructor to make logical inferences/extensions from the knowledge he/she does possess on the topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]