The education mission of the American Astronomical Society is to optimize the contributions of both the AAS and its members to enhanced science literacy for all, provide encouragement and to broaden educational opportunities for all, with particular attention to groups under-served in the physical sciences, and ensure that undergraduate and graduate programs in astronomy prepare not only the next generation of professional astronomers but also broadly trained individuals with strong technical and scientific backgrounds.
Goals
Its goals are to improve undergraduate and graduate education in astronomy and promote science literacy for all. In the Society, and more widely in the astronomical community, advocate greater attention to, encouragement of, and rewards for both excellence in astronomy education and research on teaching and learning in astronomy. Advocate astronomy and astronomy education in national and state education forums, to funding agencies, and to the scientific and education communities.
News
We are pleased to announce the release of the ninth issue (PDF) of the Latin-American Journal of Astronomy Education (RELEA). We would like to request not only wide advertising of this issue, but also your personal effort in launching a campaign for articles to be submitted to our journal. Please read our reflections and concerns in the editorial of this sixth issue. Any comments and suggestions may be sent directly to Prof. Paulo S. Bretones.
Regards, Paulo S. Bretones, Luiz C. Jafelice, Jorge H. Horvath
Astronomy Education Review
Survey of the Goals and Beliefs of Planetarium Professionals Regarding Program Design Kim J. Small and Julia D. Plumier 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, specificall ... [AER 9, 010112 (2010)] published Wed Sep 1, 2010.
Call for Co-Operation in the Development of a Stack Exchange Site on Science Teacher Professional Development in Astronomy David McKinnon and Michael Fitzgerald 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 ... [AER 9, 010701 (2010)] published Thu Aug 12, 2010.
Catching Cosmic Rays with a DSLR Kendra Sibbernsen 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 ch ... [AER 9, 010111 (2010)] published Thu Aug 5, 2010.
Covering the Standards: Astronomy Teachers' Preparation and Beliefs Julia D. Plummer and Valerie M. Zahm 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 secon ... [AER 9, 010110 (2010)] published Wed Aug 4, 2010.
Primary School Students' Ideas Concerning the Apparent Movement of the Moon John Starakis and Krystallia Halkia 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 scien ... [AER 9, 010109 (2010)] published Tue Jul 27, 2010.
