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，这是第一次在全领域范围内努力提高非正规科学教育（伊势）机构的能力，以有效地吸引最年轻的游客（3 - 5岁）参与天文学。 领导该项目的是一个行动研究小组，由ASP组成;来自加州大学圣克鲁斯、加州理工大学圣路易斯奥比斯波分校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，儿童？圣何塞的发现博物馆和圣路易斯奥比斯波的儿童？博物馆作为研究、实地测试和实施的场所。该项目将确定儿童早期天文学的关键重点领域，并将测试早期天文学学习不仅是可能的，而且可能有助于对该领域更深入的理解的假设。一个关键问题是：伊势领域如何培养孩子们对天文学的早期好奇心和想法，使他们对这个主题有更好的理解和兴趣？ 研究结果和为教育工作者编写的材料将在全国广泛分发。

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.