ERIC Number: EJ1062961
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1306 3065
EISSN: N/A
Consecutive Course Modules Developed with Simple Materials to Facilitate the Learning of Basic Concepts in Astronomy
Okulu, Hasan Zuhtu; Oguz-Unver, Ayse
International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, v10 n2 p145-167 2015
From the perspective of teaching, the huge natural laboratory that astronomy provides constitutes the most prominent connection between astronomy and other branches of science. The purpose of this research was to provide educators with activities of observation using simple materials that were developed to facilitate the teaching of basic concepts of astronomy, presenting these in the form of course modules that they could use in the classroom. Six modules were developed for teaching basic astronomy. The modules "What is Astronomy?", "The Solar System and Observing the Sun", "Astronomy Topics in the Elementary School Curriculum and Experimental Activities" and "Space Research and Life in Outer Space" were implemented in the day classes while the modules "The History of Astronomy and Sky Observation" and "Sky Observation with a Telescope" were implemented during evening classes. The modules developed are unique in that their content treats the basic concepts of astronomy with an integrated and consecutive approach to make the activities easier for teachers to implement in the classroom. The effectiveness of the activities that were designed was investigated by testing the modules on Pre-service Science Teachers (N=88), after which observation notes were recorded.
Descriptors: Science Instruction, Scientific Concepts, Astronomy, Observation, Concept Formation, Learning Modules, Course Content, Program Effectiveness, Preservice Teachers, Science Teachers, Elementary School Science, Laboratory Equipment, Teacher Competencies, Foreign Countries
International Consortium for the Advancement of Academic Publication. Abant Izzet Baysal University, Faculty of Education, 14280 Golkoy-Bolu, Turkey. e-mail: editorijese@gmail.com; Web site: http://www.ijese.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Guides - Classroom - Teacher; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Elementary Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Turkey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A