Deakin University/IAU Office of Astronomy for Education
All Sessions by Saeed Salimpour
Day 1 - Wed 10th May
10:45
Astronomy and Culture: Using social semiotics to make deeper connections in education
10:45 - 11:00
Co-authors: Michael Fitzgerald
Every culture around the world has some connection to the sky whether it is through art, religion, mythology, social practices and much more. This unique characteristic of astronomy offers a rich untapped potential that may offer new insights into teaching and learning, inform innovative pedagogies that are connected, and avenues for bringing astronomy into education. This talk is based on a recently published study, which uses theoretical perspectives grounded in social semiotics and representation construction, together with experience from the classroom to inform a conceptual framework that taps into the interdisciplinarity of culture using it as a context to bring astronomy education into the classroom. This framework is made concrete through the use of practical examples from Indigenous and Persian cultures showing how various events, festivals and calendars can be used to take students on a journey from the familiar socio-cultural context to the astronomical conceptual knowledge.
Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
Talks
Where
Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
Day 3 - Fri 12th May
11:45
Astronomy and Curriculum: A global perspective
11:45 - 12:00
Curricula in large part govern teaching and learning in schools. In recent times, there have been various efforts to enhance the curriculum particularly in the context of science education, to engage a diverse range of learners, and make it reflective of the contemporary practices of science. This includes creating links between various disciplines, and providing students the opportunity to engage with “authentic” science. Astronomy provides a rich context for creating such interdisciplinary links, and affording students the opportunity to experience and engage with authentic practices. However, merely forcing more astronomy into the mandated curriculum may not take advantage of the rich potential offered by astronomy to cross interdisciplinary barriers. The aim of this talk is two-fold: 1) to provide a recent overview of astronomy in the curriculum of 62 countries around the world; 2) using the insights from the review and research highlighting how curricula can take advantage of the potential offered by astronomy in enhancing education more broadly in science as well as in the humanities and arts.