Post on 19-Dec-2015
Hands-on Universe
Unit Development: Gravitation and Orbital Motion
HOU National ConferenceJune, 2008
Acknowledgements
• Carl Pennypacker
• IISME Teacher Program
• CSEE (Center for Science & Engineering)
• Yerkes Observatory
• Bechtel Corporation
• All of You
Initial Goals
• Combine HOU curriculum with effective, research-based pedagogy (Modeling Physics)
• Develop additional activities to strengthen student understanding of fundamental concepts behind HOU Jupiter activities
Current Aims
• Effective pedagogy needs to be explicitly explained and clearly evident in learning activities
• Curriculum needs to be adaptable to a variety of levels and settings
• Make materials available for field testing and refinement
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The Importance of Pedagogy
• Explaining ≠ Learning• CLEAR explanations ≠ Learning• PASSIONATE, clear explanations ≠
Learning• Even on my best days, my students are not
necessarily developing a deeper understanding of how the universe works!
Elements of Effective Pedagogy
• Students are guided to ask specific questions about phenomena
• Students investigate the phenomena in a hands-on, minds-on fashion
• Students communicate results, and are guided toward clear, useful models to explain the phenomena
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Elements of Effective Pedagogy
• Teacher’s role: effective questioning (Socratic Dialogue)– Teacher is aware of student
preconceptions– Questioning challenges (“exposes”)
inadequacy of naïve beliefs
• Multiple representational tools are explicitly developed to represent the phenomenon
• Student apply the model in interpreting the phenomena in new situations
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The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows. Ascertain this and teach him accordingly.
Ausbuel, 1968
The Curriculum
• Flexible– Adaptable to multiple levels– Target 8th-9th grade; provide advanced activities
as well
• Coherent story line: concepts should flow logically
• Increase teacher awareness of effective pedagogy (KEY!)
• Make use of a variety of learning activities
Development Process
• Collaborative• Ongoing
Ultimate Goals
• Increasingly large community of teachers using HOU and practicing effective pedagogy
• Students who gain a deeper understanding of the universe and grow up to be astronomers and HOU teachers!