UK Physics & Astronomy Physics & Astronomy
Colloquium


Colloquium



3:30 PM, Friday, February 15, 2002


Room 155, Chem-Phys Building







Dr. Jeff Bennett


University of Colorado
Boulder, CO





STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING ASTRONOMY AND OTHER SCIENCES





No matter whether you are teaching school children, undergraduates, or colleagues, a few key strategies are always useful. After an introduction on teaching philosophy, I will discuss five key strategies for teaching astronomy, all of which can also be applied to other sciences: (1) Provide a Contextual Framework: It is much easier to learn new facts or concepts if they can be "binned" into a pre-existing mental framework. In astronomy, for example, unless your students are already familiar with the basic ideas such as the hierarchy of structure in the universe, the scale of the universe, and the origin of the universe, you must provide this framework before going into the details of modern astronomy and its historical development. (2) Create Conditions for Conceptual Change: Many people hold misconceptions about scientific ideas. Therefore we cannot teach them the correct ideas unless we first help them unlearn their prior misconceptions. (3) Make the Material Relevant: It's human nature to be more interested in subjects that seem relevant to our lives. Therefore we must show students the many connections between science and their personal concerns. For example, in astronomy we can emphasize how we are ``star stuff" (in the words of Carl Sagan) or how studying other planets helps us understand our own. (4) Limit Use of Jargon: The number of new terms in many introductory science books is larger than the number of words taught in many first courses in foreign language. This essentially means teaching science in a foreign language, which is a clear recipe for failure. We must find ways to replace jargon with plain language. (5) Challenge Your Students: Don't dumb your teaching down; by and large, students will rise to meet your expectations, as long as you follow the other strategies and practice good teaching. Note: This talk is based in large part on my article of a similar title in Mercury, Nov/Dec 1999.



*** Refreshments served at 3:15 PM ***


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Moshe Elitzur
moshe@pa.uky.edu



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