Astronomy for Texas Elementary and Middle Schools

该项目将在三年的时间里对来自德克萨斯州中部小学和中学的60名五年级至八年级教师进行天文学和科学教学策略的强化培训。该项目将由德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校的自然科学学院和教育学院、麦克唐纳天文台和许多德克萨斯中部学区合作完成。天文系的三位成员将主持这些课程。此外，科学教育中心的一位教授和两位硕士学校的老师（一位来自农村小学，一位来自城市中学，都是克里斯塔·麦考利夫奖学金获得者）将帮助准备和介绍这个项目。在三年的时间里，每年都会有20名参与者到该大学参加为期三个学期的天文学研究。在秋季学期，他们将在天文学方面进行实践探究性活动和实地练习，以获得三个小时的高年级本科生天文学学分。在春季学期，他们将学习展示研讨会的策略，准备一份资源手册，其中包含昂贵的材料和向儿童教授天文学的想法，并获得三个小时的高年级科学学分。秋季和春季会议将在16个星期四晚上和7个星期六举行。晚上的会议对于让参加者直接体验天文现象是必不可少的。在夏季，参与者将在一起生活三周，以更新他们对现代天文学和天文学仪器的知识。在为期两周的奥斯汀会议期间，他们将参加讲座并学习使用天文系的cassegrain聚焦研究口径16英寸望远镜上的天文仪器。训练结束后，参与者将在德克萨斯州西部的德克萨斯大学麦克唐纳天文台进行为期三晚的观测，分享研究天文学家的经验，该天文台位于奥斯汀以西450英里的戴维斯山脉。在天文台，他们将与天文学家住在一起，参观设施，并使用30英寸和/或36英寸的望远镜进行自己的项目。麦克唐纳天文台每年免费为该项目提供六个晚上的望远镜时间。完成这部分课程后，可获得三个小时的天文学研究生学分。此外，一名天文学家将通过参观每位参与者的学校，与他们所教授的科学课程进行互动。虽然首席研究员将进行多次访问（提供女性榜样），但天文系的其他20多名成员自愿访问教室。为这些访问提供了非联邦资金。除了增加参与者对科学教学的信心和提高他们自己的背景外，该计划的另一个目的是培训他们成为二年级到八年级教师的科学研讨会主持人。所有参加者均得到所属地区的支援，地区将提供至少两个年级专题工作坊所需的设施及物料。各区亦会支援参加者参加两次科学教师跟进会议。总而言之，该项目将在科学家、科学教育者和当地学校之间建立持续的合作伙伴关系，以提高德克萨斯州中部中小学的天文学教学质量。费用分摊额为126,914美元，相当于NSF奖金的33%。

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.