Dr. Julieta Fierro
Professor of Astronomy,
Instituto de Astronomía,
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México
Mexico City, Mexico

On elements for Astronomy Teaching:
an international perspective

There are no general rules for good astronomy teaching, every classroom has its own particularities. Nevertheless we can mention a few items that have been useful for many teachers throughout the world.

1- Acknowledgement:
That is to say what are the elements of astronomy that we wish to convey and why we feel they are important. This aspect also includes finding out what students want to know about the subject and what are their misconceptions and expectations.

2- Joint participation:
In order to have a good teacher-student relation it is necessary to have common activities, these should include: activities during recess, engage in activities together, play, be together during lunch, go together on outings, laugh.

3- Special agreeable experiences:
If the teacher conveys agreeable experiences he will integrate positively, specially if these are uncommon. That is to say special details, surprises, gifts, laughter, poetry, fantasy, among other possibilities.

4- Agreeable physical contact.
In many non Saxon cultures physical contact is an important factor of life. Eye contact, hand shaking, dancing, music listening, can enliven a lecture.

5- Cooperation.
Team activities, specially on a voluntary basis, are ideal for a good educational environment. They can involve simple tasks that could seem irrelevant such as rearranging chairs in a classroom or helping other classmates, that is to say giving voluntary work. In these endeavors reciprocity is essential.

6-Shared creativity.
There are many creative activities where one can participate with pupils, a home page, a video, writing a play. The glory of creation as a joint venture bonds pleasure with knowledge in a strong fashion.

7- Shared success.

8- Telling about one's own experience.
Using scientific language is essential to understanding it. One must allow students to use their own words to convey scientific knowledge.

9- External contrast
An ingredient that can serve as coherence for a group can be comparing one's own experience to others.

If one slowly combines each of the above engredients, success is garanteed. If one does not combine such emotional elements in the classroom one risks to have pupils dislike science.
 
 

Julieta Fierro is a full time researcher at the Institute of Astronomy at Mexico National University. Her main impact has been on education and public understanding of science. She is currently president of Commission 46 (Teaching of Astronomy) of the International Astronomical Union. She also serves as member of the Board of the Astronomomical Society of the Pacific. She has helped build science centers, written 23 books, given hundreds of public lectures and created educational materials including astronomical videos. She is currently involved in Mexico National University Television Station that will be dedicated to education and will begin broadcasting in a few months. Dr. Fierro has been granted the Kalinga Award (UNESCO, France), the Primo Rovis Gold Medal (Italy), The Klumpke-Roberts Award (ASP, USA), and the National Academy of Sciences and National Prizes for Popularization and for Scientific Journalism, as well as the First Prize for Scientific Video (Mexico).