Presentat

1. Designing Effective
Astronomy Outreach Activities
Based on Education Research
www.cita.utoronto.ca/~linda/eduresearch.pdf
Linda Strubbe
CITA (Toronto)
Member of OAD TF 2

2. Designing Effective
Astronomy Outreach Activities
Based on Education Research
• Have clear goals for our outreach
• Evaluate how well we are achieving our goals
• Teach questioning and thinking, not just content
www.cita.utoronto.ca/~linda/eduresearch.pdf
Linda Strubbe

3. Starting Teaching Principle:
What outcomes are we looking to achieve?
Backward Design: Goals First!
Scientific What do we want to students to
know / understand?
Content
Learning Scientific What do we want students to be
able to do?
Process Skills
Goals
Scientific How do we want students to feel about
Attitudes science / education in general / life?
Design Activity to
Support Goals
Revise activity
accordingly
Try out
activity
Assess how
well learners
achieve goals
during activity
Teach (formative) Then repeat /
Assess how well
activity document /
learners achieve goals
in the field after activity share activity!
(summative)

4. What outcomes are we looking to achieve?
Scientific What do we want to students to
know / understand?
Content
Scientific What do we want students to be
able to do?
Process Skills
Scientific How do we want students to feel about
Attitudes science / education in general / life?
• observing, questioning, analytical thinking
• desire to pursue their education
Remember learnersʼ background

5. Starting Teaching Principle:
What outcomes are we looking to achieve?
Backward Design: Goals First!
Scientific What do we want to students to
know / understand?
Content
Learning Scientific What do we want students to be
able to do?
Process Skills
Goals
Scientific How do we want students to feel about
Attitudes science / education in general / life?
Design Activity to
Support Goals
Revise activity
accordingly
Try out
activity
Assess how
well learners
achieve goals
during activity
Teach (formative) Then repeat /
Assess how well
activity document /
learners achieve goals
in the field after activity share activity!
(summative)

6. References / Suggested Reading:
Chinn C. A., & Malhotra, B. A. 2002, Epistemologically Authentic Inquiry in Schools: A
Theoretical Framework for Evaluating Inquiry Tasks, Science Education, 86, 175
National Research Council (NRC) 2000, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience,
and School. (Washington, DC: The National Academies Press).
National Research Council (NRC) 2007, "Chapter 2: Four Strands of Science
Learning." Ready, Set, SCIENCE!: Putting Research to Work in K-8 Science
Classrooms. (Washington, DC: The National Academies Press).
Wiggins G., & McTighe, J. 2005, Understanding by Design. (Alexandria: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development).
www.cita.utoronto.ca/~linda/eduresearch.pdf

7. Designing Effective
Astronomy Outreach Activities
Based on Education Research
• Have clear goals for our outreach
• Evaluate how well we are achieving our goals
• Teach questioning and thinking, not just content
www.cita.utoronto.ca/~linda/eduresearch.pdf
Linda Strubbe