ECB

The idea for this CoP, simply called “Using Astronomy as an aid to teaching STEM”, came from many interactions with schools and their teachers and culminating in the inGenious astronomy chat that involved 35 schools from across Europe in December 2012. Astronomy is a great way to “package” ideas, and understanding the universe naturally requires teachers and students to ask questions that involve all the STEM subjects, and even some non-STEM subjects. This CoP will encourage teachers to look at new ways to present some old ideas, using the fast-changing face of astronomy to provide the context.

Astronomy is found to be naturally fascinating by many students. There is so much that we do not know or understand about our Universe that astronomy can act as the perfect laboratory in which questions can be asked and the scientific method can be applied. As a result, astronomy can be used to teach skills in team-building, collaboration, multi-discipline research, making presentations, etc., and so can be a powerful tool in a teacher’s armoury.

Thus, the aims of this CoP include, but may not be limited to:

• sharing resources, knowledge and ideas about how teachers might use astronomy in their classrooms and comparing experiences amongst those who have already tried;

• discussing the advantages/disadvantages of teaching subject material within the context of astronomy, and trying to understand if this makes for more efficient and/or effective teaching ;

• considering the important issue of students losing interest in STEM subjects as they grow older and examining whether astronomy can help to address a phenomenon that appears to occur Europe-wide;  

• debating how astronomy can be used to prepare students for a career in industry;

• using astronomy as a tool and sharing good practices to promote learning and motivation in students from underrepresented minorities, including socioeconomic, ethnic, special needs, etc.; 

• and any other topics that teachers might find interesting and relevant to their work!

The topics to be discussed in this CoP are: 

1. Key things we know about our Universe – and how we know them. And things we do not yet understand.

2. Technology in Astronomy and Space Exploration – from small telescopes to giant satellites

3. Extrasolar Planets and the search for life in the Universe – are we getting closer to answering the question about whether we are alone in the vast cosmos and how might we do so?

4. Exploring Mars – from robotic rovers looking for life there today, to potentially sending a European there in the next 30 year, Mars has a lot to offer the next generation in thinking about science, exploration, our origins and the future.

This Community will give you the possibility to:

• discuss possible ways of using astronomy in the classroom, no matter what subject you are teaching or what the age of the class group is;

• learn from each other’s experiences and exchange ideas about what worked well and what worked less well;

• share experiences of using web-based resources, and for those who have not used any to consider what resources the community most liked and why;

• ask each other for advice;

• have fun thinking and talking about using astronomy in the classroom!