Full-Scale Development: My Sky Tonight: Early Childhood Pathways to Astronomy

太平洋天文学会(ASP)及其合作者正在开展一系列以幼儿天文学为重点的研究和开发活动，这是为提高非正规科学教育机构(ISE)的能力，使其最年轻的访问者(3-5岁)有效参与天文学而作出的第一项全领域努力。领导该项目的是一个行动研究小组，成员包括：ASP；来自加州大学圣克鲁斯分校、加州大学保利·圣路易斯·奥比斯波和宾夕法尼亚州立大学的认知发展、幼儿和天文学学习进展方面的专家；以及加州大学伯克利分校的劳伦斯科学大厅、圣何塞儿童S发现博物馆和圣路易斯·奥比斯波儿童？S博物馆，作为研究、野外测试和实施的地点。该项目将确定幼儿天文学的关键重点领域，并将检验这样一种假设，即早期天文学学习不仅是可能的，而且可能有助于对该领域的更复杂的了解。一个关键的问题是：ISE领域如何培养孩子们对天文学的早期好奇心和想法，让他们对这个话题有更大的理解和兴趣？这项研究的结果和为教育工作者制作的材料将在全国范围内广泛分发。

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) and its collaborators are conducting a set of research and development activities focusing on early childhood astronomy in the first field-wide effort to increase the capacity of informal science education (ISE) institutions to effectively engage their youngest visitors (ages 3 - 5) in astronomy. Leading the project is an Action Research Group comprised of the ASP; experts in cognitive development, early childhood, and astronomy learning progressions from UC Santa Cruz, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and Penn State; and the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley, Children?s Discovery Museum of San Jose, and San Luis Obispo Children?s Museum as sites for research, field testing, and implementation. The project will identify critical areas of focus for early childhood astronomy and will test the hypothesis that early astronomy learning is not only possible but may contribute to a more sophisticated understanding of the domain. A key question is: How can the ISE field scaffold children's early curiosity and ideas about astronomy to position them for greater understanding and interest in the topic? The results of the research and the materials that are created for educators will receive broad distribution nationally.