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December 2010

Volume 9, Issue 1, Articles (01xxxx)

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Using Visual Assessments and Tutorials to Teach Solar System Concepts in Introductory Astronomy

Michael C. LoPresto

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010101, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2009043

Online Publication Date: 26 January 2010

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Visual assessments and tutorials are instruments that rely on student construction and/or examination of pictures and/or diagrams rather than multiple choice and/or short answer questions. Being a very visual subject, astronomy lends itself to assessments and tutorials of this type. What follows is a report on the results of the use of visual assessments and tutorials for instruction on two specific solar system topics in introductory astronomy: the orbits of comets and extrasolar planets.
Show PACS
01.40.−d
96.00.00 Solar system; planetology
97.82.−j
01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.40.gb Teaching methods and strategies
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.40.G−

What It Would Take to Increase the Number of High School Astronomy Courses: A Survey of Principals and a Comparison to Astronomy Teachers, and a Prescription for Change

Larry Krumenaker

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010102, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2009076

Online Publication Date: 29 January 2010

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A survey to principals of high schools without astronomy points to the conditions needed to increase the number of high school astronomy courses and acceptable justifications for adding in a course. The former includes the need for more and better trained teachers, changing the perceptions of higher officials from local administrations to Federal-level legislators and education department officials, more funds, locally a need for students to show enough interest as well as a curriculum that helps with high stakes testing and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) scoring. Good reasons for having a course include helping increase options for students needing science electives or fourth year courses, and astronomy reinforces prior learning that helps raise AYP scores and increases student interest in science with material not taught in other courses. Some inhibiting influences include the timing of the course is usually after AYP testing, standards may not exist or limit new electives, and a dearth of astronomy teachers locally. Results of this study include a list of competing electives, typical procedures and a prescription for adding in courses.
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01.40.ek Secondary school
01.40.−d

Galaxy Zoo: Exploring the Motivations of Citizen Science Volunteers

M. Jordan Raddick, Georgia Bracey, Pamela L. Gay, Chris J. Lintott, Phil Murray, Kevin Schawinski, Alexander S. Szalay, and Jan Vandenberg

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010103, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2009036

Online Publication Date: 18 February 2010

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The Galaxy Zoo citizen science website invites anyone with an Internet connection to participate in research by classifying galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. As of April 2009, more than 200,000 volunteers have made more than 100 million galaxy classifications. In this article, we present results of a pilot study into the motivations and demographics of Galaxy Zoo volunteers and define a technique to determine motivations from free responses that can be used in larger multiple-choice surveys with similar populations. Our categories form the basis for a future survey, with the goal of determining the prevalence of each motivation.
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01.75.+m Science and society
98.00.00 Stellar systems; interstellar medium; galactic and extragalactic objects and systems; the Universe
98.80.−k
01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.50.H−

Multidimensional Education Research: Managing Multiple Data Streams

Julia Kregenow, Michael Rogers, and Mark Constas

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010104, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2009047

Online Publication Date: 18 February 2010

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We discuss collecting data simultaneously from many different instruments, including both qualitative and quantitative sources. A list of instruments used is provided, and data collection methods are described. Many practical logistical concerns are discussed, warning of potential pitfalls to be avoided. This article is intended to be a practical guide for other research groups wishing to use data from multiple sources, especially if they have not collected qualitative data before.
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01.40.−d
01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.40.gb Teaching methods and strategies
01.40.G−

The Impact of Stereo Display on Student Understanding of Phases of the Moon

Ximena C. Cid and Ramon E. Lopez

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010105, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2009044 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: 23 March 2010

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Understanding lunar phases requires three-dimensional information about the relative positions of the Moon, Earth, and Sun, thus using a stereo display in instruction might improve student comprehension of lunar phases or other topics in basic astronomy. We conducted a laboratory (15 sections) on phases of the Moon as part of the introductory astronomy classes. Half of the laboratories were taught using stereo visualizations projected by a portable GeoWall system running the AstroWall software, while the other half of the laboratories were identical, but without stereo. We found that both sets of laboratories showed a statistically significant gain in student comprehension, but that there was no statistical difference between the stereo laboratories and the nonstereo laboratories. We conclude that there is no advantage to using a stereo display in teaching about lunar phases.
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01.40.−d
96.00.00 Solar system; planetology
01.40.Fk Research in physics education

The Pulsar Search Collaboratory

R. Rosen, S. Heatherly, M. A. McLaughlin, R. Lynch, V. I. Kondratiev, J. R. Boyles, M. Wilson, D. R. Lorimer, and S. Ransom

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010106, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2010004

Online Publication Date: 09 April 2010

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The Pulsar Search Collaboratory (PSC) (NSF #0737641) is a joint project between the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and West Virginia University designed to interest high school students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics related career paths by helping them to conduct authentic scientific research. The 3 year PSC program, which began in the summer of 2008, teaches students to analyze astronomical radio data acquired with the 100 m Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope for the purpose of discovering new pulsars. We present the results of the first complete year of the PSC, which includes two astronomical discoveries.
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01.40.ek Secondary school
97.00.00 Stars
01.50.H−
01.40.J−

A National Study Assessing the Teaching and Learning of Introductory Astronomy Part II: The Connection between Student Demographics and Learning

Alexander L. Rudolph, Edward E. Prather, Gina Brissenden, David Consiglio, and Vicente Gonzaga

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010107, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER0009068 | Cited 3 times

Online Publication Date: 19 April 2010

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This is the second in a series of reports on a national study of the teaching and learning of astronomy in general education, nonscience major, introductory college astronomy courses (hereafter referred to as Astro 101). The analysis reported here was conducted using data from nearly 2000 students enrolled in 69 Astro 101 classes taught across the country. These students completed a 15-question demographic survey, in addition to completing the 26-question Light and Spectroscopy Concept Inventory (LSCI) pre- and post-instruction. The LSCI was used to determine students’ learning via a normalized gain calculated for each student. A multivariate regression analysis was conducted to determine how ascribed characteristics (personal demographic and family characteristics), achieved characteristics (academic achievement and student major), and the use of interactive learning strategies are related to student learning in these classes. The results show dramatic improvement in student learning with increased use of interactive learning strategies even after controlling for individual characteristics. In addition, we find that the positive effects of interactive learning strategies apply equally to men and women, across ethnicities, for students with all levels of prior mathematical preparation and physical science course experience, independent of GPA, and regardless of primary language. These results powerfully illustrate that all categories of students can benefit from the effective implementation of interactive learning strategies.
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01.30.lb Undergraduate schools
01.40.−d
01.40.Fk Research in physics education
01.40.G−
01.40.gb Teaching methods and strategies
01.55.+b General physics

Student Ideas about Kepler’s Laws and Planetary Orbital Motions

Ka Chun Yu, Kamran Sahami, and Grant Denn

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010108, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2009069

Online Publication Date: 23 July 2010

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We present the analysis of oral interviews with 112 undergraduate nonmajor students during the first week of a General Education Introduction to Astronomy class before they had received any instruction. The students were asked questions relating to Kepler’s three Laws of Motion, as well as their understanding of what keeps planets in orbit around the Sun. The most common misconception found in about three-quarters of the interviews is the belief that planetary orbits about the Sun are highly elliptical. Less common ideas include a mix of circular and highly elliptical orbital shapes. Many students have conceptions consistent with the Kepler’s Second and Third Laws of Motion, and the ease with which these models are adopted by students may suggest some ways to teach these concepts via analogy. The types of ideas about orbital shapes and orbital behavior may originate in common depictions of orbits often seen in print and on the Internet.
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01.40.−d
96.00.00 Solar system; planetology
95.30.−k

Primary School Students’ Ideas Concerning the Apparent Movement of the Moon

John Starakis and Krystallia Halkia

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010109, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2010007

Online Publication Date: 27 July 2010

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In the present study, primary school students’ ideas concerning the apparent movement of the Moon are investigated. The research was carried out in five primary schools of Athens (Greece) with a sample of forty (40), fifth and sixth grade students. Semistructured interviews were used to gather scientific data and students had the opportunity to provide their answers either orally and/or as a drawing. The results revealed that students think that (a) apparent movement of the Moon takes place always at night and (b) simultaneous presence of the Sun and the Moon occurs mainly around sunset and sunrise. These ideas were found to be barriers for the construction of the scientific view concerning the relative positions of the Sun-Earth-Moon system, since three-quarters of the students have the idea that the Sun and the Moon are at opposite sides of the Earth.
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01.40.eg Elementary school
01.40.Fk Research in physics education
96.00.00 Solar system; planetology

Covering the Standards: Astronomy Teachers’ Preparation and Beliefs

Julia D. Plummer and Valerie M. Zahm

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010110, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2009077

Online Publication Date: 04 August 2010

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An online survey of science teachers and interviews with curriculum directors were used to investigate the coverage of astronomy in middle and high schools in the greater Philadelphia region. Our analysis looked beyond astronomy elective courses to uncover all sources of astronomy education in secondary schools. We focused on coverage of state standards, time spent on astronomy, availability of resources, teacher efficacy, and teacher pedagogical beliefs. Astronomy is not taught in depth, and many students receive no astronomy instruction across both middle and high school. Many teachers hold reform-based perspectives but also maintain traditional beliefs about astronomy teaching and learning. Implications for future reform efforts are discussed.
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01.40.ek Secondary school
01.40.J−

Catching Cosmic Rays with a DSLR

Kendra Sibbernsen

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010111, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2010009

Online Publication Date: 05 August 2010

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Cosmic rays are high-energy particles from outer space that continually strike the Earth’s atmosphere and produce cascades of secondary particles, which reach the surface of the Earth, mainly in the form of muons. These particles can be detected with scintillator detectors, Geiger counters, cloud chambers, and also can be recorded with commonly available photographic equipment. Many current digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras contain complementary metal oxide semiconductor chips that are sensitive to these charged particles at long exposures and high light sensitivity settings. Suggestions are given on how to incorporate this method of capture and display as a teaching tool for physics. DSLR high-energy particle capture could be used as a classroom demonstration, as a laboratory experiment to accompany a high-energy particle physics discussion, or presented as an inquiry-based research project for advanced undergraduates.
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95.55.−n
01.40.−d
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus

Survey of the Goals and Beliefs of Planetarium Professionals Regarding Program Design

Kim J. Small and Julia D. Plummer

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010112, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2010016

Online Publication Date: 01 September 2010

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Despite decades of research on the importance of engagement and interaction in learning experiences, programs produced for planetarium audiences are primarily passive in nature. Planetarium professionals were interviewed with regard to their goals and beliefs for planetarium experiences, specifically focusing on goals for children, and their interest with regard to a program format that integrates segments of live interaction with automated content (N = 36). Planetarium professionals’ goals most frequently reflect increasing content knowledge and motivating audiences to continue learning. To meet these goals, they often cite live interaction as a key strategy for elementary-aged audiences. Further, planetarium professionals often combine live interaction with prerendered automation. These results suggest that the planetarium community’s goals and beliefs are at odds with the current model of passive planetarium production and that the frontline professionals would support opportunities that support their ability to actively engage their audiences.
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01.75.+m Science and society
01.40.−d

Daytime School Guided Visits to an Astronomical Observatory in Brazil

Pedro Donizete Colombo, Jr., Silvia Calbo Aroca, and Cibelle Celestino Silva

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010113, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2010017

Online Publication Date: 14 October 2010

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This article analyzes the activity Daytime School Guided Visits at an astronomical observatory in Brazil with pupils from primary school. The adopted research methodology relied on questionnaire applications and semistructured interviews. The objectives were to identify the influences of the visits on learning of astronomical concepts and on pupils’ motivation toward science. This study showed that it is difficult for children to understand scale distances in the Solar System and beyond. In order to cope with this problem, this article highlights the relevance of science centers’ partnership with schools to achieve the goal of improving scientific education by relying on two main participants for a successful visit to a science museum: Guides and teachers.
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01.75.+m Science and society
01.40.eg Elementary school
01.40.−d
96.00.00 Solar system; planetology

Enhancing Student Performance in an Online Introductory Astronomy Course with Video Demonstrations

Scott T. Miller and Stephen L. Redman

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010114, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2009066

Online Publication Date: 19 October 2010

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We present the effect of video demonstrations on student performance in an online Astronomy course. We find that students who watched the videos performed better on related exam questions compared to those who did not watch the videos. We also find that students in the online course performed as well as students in a nearly identical face-to-face course on video-related questions but worse on other questions. Finally, we find that online students performed at par with face-to-face students on the Astronomy Diagnostic Test. These videos are freely available on YouTube, Google Videos, and iTunes.
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01.40.−d
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.50.H−
01.50.−i

Improving Instructor Presence in an Online Introductory Astronomy Course through Video Demonstrations

Scott T. Miller and Stephen L. Redman

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010115, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2009072

Online Publication Date: 19 October 2010

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We created a series of videos for an online introductory astronomy course at the Pennsylvania State University in part to address the lack of personal presence in online courses. Based on surveys administered to the students during the semester, we found that these videos were effective in creating an instructor presence within the online course. We also found that students who perceived a strong instructor presence had a more positive attitude toward the course. Additionally, there is a correlation between the students’ perceptions of how helpful a video is with how enjoyable they rated it, but no correlation between the perceived helpfulness of a video and student performance on video-specific questions, suggesting that students are not good at assessing video helpfulness.
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01.40.−d
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus
01.50.H−
01.50.−i

Do Concept Inventories Actually Measure Anything?

Colin S. Wallace and Janelle M. Bailey

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010116, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2010024 | Cited 3 times

Online Publication Date: 03 December 2010

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Although concept inventories are among the most frequently used tools in the physics and astronomy education communities, they are rarely evaluated using item response theory (IRT). When IRT models fit the data, they offer sample-independent estimates of item and person parameters. IRT may also provide a way to measure students’ learning gains that circumvents some known issues with Hake’s normalized gain. In this paper, we review the essentials of IRT while simultaneously applying it to the Star Properties Concept Inventory. We also use IRT to explore an important psychometrics debate that has received too little attention from physics and astronomy education researchers: What do we mean when we say we “measure” a mental process? This question leads us to use IRT to address the provocative question that constitutes the title of this paper: Do concept inventories actually measure anything?
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01.40.Fk Research in physics education

Urban Middle-School Teachers’ Beliefs about Astronomy Learner Characteristics: Implications for Curriculum

Rommel J. Miranda

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010117, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2010030 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: 08 December 2010

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This study addresses the link between urban teachers’ beliefs about their students’ ability to succeed in astronomy and their instructional decisions and practices in response to those beliefs. The findings suggest that teachers believe that the student characteristics that are necessary for high achievement in astronomy include specific cognitive skills, dispositions, and prior knowledge and experiences with the subject area. These teachers further view their own students as largely lacking in these characteristics and report such instructional modifications as not teaching the prescribed astronomy curriculum, deemphasizing related mathematics, reading and science process skill sets, deemphasizing advanced astronomy topics and laboratory experiences, and reducing the depth of astronomy concepts. The implications of these findings are that urban students might in fact be experiencing an astronomy curriculum that is alienating and does not promote their engagement with the subject area.
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01.40.ek Secondary school
01.40.Di Course design and evaluation
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Visualizing Cosmological Concepts Using the Analog of a Hot Liquid

E. Yusofi and M. Mohsenzadeh

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010201, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2009035

Online Publication Date: 26 January 2010

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We have used the expansion process of hot milk, which has similarities with the cosmic expansion, to facilitate easier and better visualization and teaching of cosmological concepts. Observations of milk are used to illustrate phenomena related to the Planck era, the standard hot big bang model, cosmic inflation, problems with the formation of structure, and other subjects. This innovative and easily implemented demonstration can enhance the learning of cosmological concepts.
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01.40.ek Secondary school
01.40.−d
98.80.−k
01.50.My Demonstration experiments and apparatus

Lunar Phases Planisphere

Stephen J. Shawl

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010202, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2010025 | Cited 1 time

Online Publication Date: 28 December 2010

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This paper describes a lunar phases planisphere with which a user can answer questions about the rising and setting times of the Moon as well as questions about where the Moon will be at a given phase and time. The article contains figures that can be photocopied to make the planisphere.
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96.20.-n Moon
01.50.-i Educational aids
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Resource Guide to the Moon for Educators Available from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific

Sidney Wolff

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010301, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2009059

Online Publication Date: 26 January 2010

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An annotated list of resources for helping students and the public to understand and appreciate the Moon is now available on the website of the nonprofit Astronomical Society of the Pacific at: http://www.astrosociety.org/education/family/resources/moonguide.html.
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01.40.eg Elementary school
01.40.ek Secondary school
96.00.00 Solar system; planetology
01.50.Pa Laboratory experiments and apparatus
01.30.-y Physics literature and publications

Our Planet from Space: Pedagogical Implications of the DISH Earth Channel

Wilson González-Espada, Jennifer J. Birriel, and Ignacio Birriel

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010302, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2009054

Online Publication Date: 05 February 2010

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A new camera attached to EchoStar 11, a geostationary communications satellite, recently started sending breathtaking and near real-time images of Earth. Available on one of DISH Network’s channels, viewers can see our planet 24/7, including occasional appearances by the Sun, the Moon, Venus, and space debris. These images present an excellent opportunity to teach about the Sun-Earth-Moon system. The purpose of this article is to introduce the DISH Earth channel to science educators, to provide a teacher-tested sample lesson plan using DISH Earth channel videos, and to suggest additional topics that could be explored with this newly available resource.
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01.40.eg Elementary school
01.40.ek Secondary school
96.00.00 Solar system; planetology
01.40.gb Teaching methods and strategies
43.38.Wl Broadcasting (radio and television)

Good Reading from Other Sources on Astronomy Education and Outreach (Published in 2009)

Andrew Fraknoi

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010303, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2010011

Online Publication Date: 21 July 2010

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We present our fifth annotated listing of readings about astronomy education and outreach that appeared during the previous calendar year in publications other than Astronomy Education Review. To keep things manageable, we only cover readings directly related to astronomy (even though there are many articles about physics, geology, or chemistry education that could easily be applied to astronomy classrooms.) Only contributions that are in published journals and magazines (as opposed to newsletters or web bulletins) are listed. Suggestions for additions to the list are most welcome.
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01.40.−d
01.40.ek Secondary school
01.30.−y
01.75.+m Science and society
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Book Review—A Question and Answer Guide to Astronomy by Pierre-Yves Bely, Carol Christian, and Jean-Rene Roy

Sidney Wolff, Reviewer

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010501, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2010018

Online Publication Date: 08 July 2010

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A Question and Answer Guide to Astronomy by Pierre-Yves Bely, Carol Christian, and Jean-Rene Roy. This book gives clear, concise answers and would be extremely useful for teachers and parents.
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01.30.Vv Book reviews
01.30.Os Books of general interest to physics teachers
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The AstroLrner E-Community: A 10 Year Retrospective

Timothy F. Slater

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010601, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2009055

Online Publication Date: 20 January 2010

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The article briefly describes and documents the development and evolution of the AstroLrner (pronounced a-stroh-LEARN-er) online Yahoo! community, created by Tim Slater on August 29, 1999, on its 10 year anniversary. The goal for AstroLrner was to leverage the then emerging social networking technology to build and nurture the nascent community of scholars engaged in improving the quantity and quality of astronomy teaching and learning through education research. Today, known as AstroLrner@CAE, this vibrant e-community has nearly 800 subscribers and averages nearly 300 posts per year.
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Call for Co-Operation in the Development of a Stack Exchange Site on Science Teacher Professional Development in Astronomy

David McKinnon and Michael Fitzgerald

2010, AER, 9 (1), 010701, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2010020

Online Publication Date: 12 August 2010

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We have proposed a Q&A/FAQ type of website at Stack Exchange that is focused on the pedagogical and pragmatic questions that teachers, teacher educators, and outreach educators encounter in astronomy education. The site will address the lack of centralized “professional development” opportunities. We seek keen astronomy educators and researchers to join our site and help create such an online community.
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