Astronomy for Texas Elementary and Middle Schools

该项目将提供为期三年的强化培训， 60年天文学和科学教学策略 来自德克萨斯州中部的五到八年级的教师 小学和中学。 该项目将是一个 包括自然科学学院在内的合作努力 德克萨斯大学教育学院 奥斯汀、麦克唐纳天文台和许多德克萨斯州中部的学校 区。 天文系的三名成员将 指导上课。 此外，一位来自 科学教育中心和两名硕士学校教师（一名 一个来自农村小学，一个来自城市中学 学校，都克里斯塔麦考利夫研究员）将帮助准备和 介绍节目。 三年来，每年将有20名学员参加 在一所为期三个学期的天文学研究所学习。在 在秋季学期，他们将进行动手探究为基础的 天文学方面的活动和实地演习， 接受三个小时的高年级本科天文学 信用 在春季学期，他们将学习策略 为举办研讨会，准备一份资源手册 教授天文学的昂贵材料和想法， 孩子们，并获得三个小时的上师学分， 科学 秋季和春季会议将于16日举行。 周四晚上和七个周六。 晚上的会议 是必不可少的，让参与者直接体验 天文现象 在夏季，参与者将 一起生活三个星期， 关于现代天文学和天文学仪器。 期间 在为期两周的奥斯汀会议上，他们将参加讲座， 学习使用天文仪器上的天文学 部门的卡塞格伦焦点研究口径16英寸 望远镜 培训结束后，学员将 分享一个研究天文学家的经验， 德克萨斯大学麦克唐纳分校的三次夜间观察 天文台位于得克萨斯州西部，奥斯汀以西450英里， 戴维斯山脉。 在天文台，他们将生活在 天文学家，参观设施，并使用30英寸和/或 36-一英寸的望远镜来做自己的项目。 麦当劳 天文台将提供六个晚上的望远镜时间，每- 一年，项目不收费。 毕业三小时 天文学的学分是在完成这项工作后授予的。 节目的一部分。 此外，天文学家将与科学互动， 每个参与者通过访问 他们的学校 虽然许多访问将由 首席研究员（提供女性榜样），超过 天文系的其他20名成员自愿 参观教室。 非联邦资金用于 这些访问。 除了增加参与者对 科学教学和提高自己的背景， 该计划的另一个目的是培养他们作为科学讲习班 给二到八年级的老师做演讲。 所有 参加者得到所属地区的支持， 将提供设施和材料， 至少有两个专业的车间。 各区还将 为与会者参加两次后续会议提供支助 科学教师会议。 总之，该计划将制定一个持续的 科学家、科学之间的协作伙伴关系 教育工作者和当地学校，因为它提高了质量， 年中小学天文教学 德克萨斯中部 分摊费用126 914美元，相当于2012年预算的33%。 NSF奖。

This project will give intensive training over a three-year period in astronomy and science teaching strategies to 60 teachers of grades five to eight from Central Texas elementary and middle schools. The project will be a cooperative effort involving the College of Natural Science and the School of Education of the University of Texas at Austin, McDonald Observatory, and many Central Texas school districts. Three members of the Astronomy Department will conduct the classes. In addition, a professor from the Science Education Center and two master school teachers (one from a rural elementary school and one from an urban middle school, both Christa McAuliffe Fellows) will help prepare and present the program. Each year, for three years, 20 participants will attend the university for a three-semester Institute in Astronomy. In the Fall semester they will perform hands-on inquiry-based activities and field exercises in astronomy in order to receive three hours of upper division undergraduate Astronomy credit. In the Spring semester they will learn strategies for presenting workshops, prepare a resource manual ofinexpensive materials and ideas for teaching astronomy to children, and receive three hours of upper division credit in Science. The Fall and Spring meetings will occur on sixteen Thursday evenings and seven Saturdays. The evening meetings are essential to give the participants direct experience of astronomical phenomena. In the summer, the participants will live together for three-weeks as they update their knowledge about modern astronomy and astronomy instrumentation. During the two-week Austin session, they will attend lectures and learn to use astronomical instruments on the Astronomy Department's Cassegrain-focus research caliber 16-inch telescope. Following their training, the participants will share in the experiences of a research astronomer through a three night observing run at the University of Texas McDonald Observatory in west Texas, 450 miles west of Austin in the Davis Mountains. At the observatory, they will live with the astronomers, tour the facilities and use the 30-inch and/or 36-inch telescope for their own projects. McDonald Observatory is providing six nights of telescope time per- year at no cost to the project. Three hours of graduate credit in astronomy is awarded upon completion of this portion of the program. In addition, an astronomer will interact with the science classes taught by each of the participants through visits to their school. Although many visits will be made by the principal investigator (offering a female role model), over 20 other members of the Astronomy Department have volunteered to visit classrooms. Non-federal funding is provided for these visits. Besides increasing the confidence of the participants in the teaching of science and improving their own backgrounds, another aim of the program is train them as science workshop presenters to teachers of grades two through eight. All participants have the support of their own districts which will provide the facilities and materials for conducting at least two grade specific workshops. The districts will also provide support for the participants to attend two follow-up meetings of science teachers. In summary, this program will develop a continuing collaborative partnership among scientists, science educators, and local schools as it improves the quality of astronomy instruction in elementary and middle schools in central Texas. Cost sharing in the amount of $126,914 is equal to 33% of the NSF award.