Teaching astronomy in an informal space: observing the Sun and its sunspots

O presente artigo analisa os resultados obtidos num minicurso sobre o Sol e sua dinâmica realizado no Observatório Astronômico do Centro de Divulgação Científica e Cultural (CDCC) pertencente à Universidade de São Paulo (USP) na cidade de São Carlos para alunos do ensino fundamental. As atividades foram desenvolvidas na recente inaugurada, Sala Solar. Ela é dedicada ao estudo do Sol, enfatizando a observação de manchas solares e do espectro do Sol. A metodologia adotada no minicurso consistiu em pequenos experimentos, observações e diálogos expositivos. Isto incentivou os estudantes a tomarem decisões, fazerem questionamentos e refletirem gerando pensamentos mais críticos e produzindo um maior número de conexões entre o real e o abstrato que contribuiu para níveis de maior complexidade conceitual verificados durante entrevistas semiestruturadas e nas respostas ao questionário final.The current article analyses the results obtained following a short course about the Sun and its dynamics for middle and junior high school students promoted at the Astronomical Observatory at the University of São Paulo (Observatório Astronômico do CDCC/USP) in the city of São Carlos in Brazil. The activities were developed in a recently launched room, the Solar Room. It is totally dedicated to the study of the Sun, focusing on sunspots and solar spectrum. The adopted methodology consisted of experiments, observations and discussions in small groups allowing students to reflect upon what was being studied. It fostered students' critical thinking by means of a larger number of connections between real and abstract concepts contributing to higher levels of conceptual complexity. Data were gathered by semi-structured interviews and answers to questionnaires.CNPqFundação Vita

Daytime school guided visits to an astronomical observatory in Brazil

This article analyzes the activity Daytime School Guided Visits at an astronomical observatory in Brazil with pupils from primary school. The adopted research methodology relied on questionnaire applications and semistructured interviews. The objectives were to identify the influences of the visits on learning of astronomical concepts and on pupils’ motivation toward science. This study showed that it is difficult for children to\ud understand scale distances in the Solar System and beyond. In order to cope with this problem, this article highlights the relevance of science centers’ partnership with schools to achieve the goal of improving scientific education by relying on two main participants for a successful visit to a science museum: Guides and teachers

Tópicos de física solar no ensino médio: análise de um curso com atividades práticas no Observatório Dietrich Schiel

Este trabalho analisa resultados obtidos em um curso sobre física solar para alunos do ensino médio promovido pelo Observatório Dietrich Schiel da USP. O curso foi elaborado pelos autores com a intenção de investigar concepções sobre o Sol, ensinar tópicos de física moderna relacionados ao Sol e conhecimentos gerais sobre o astro rei. A metodologia de coleta de dados consistiu em gravação em áudio e vídeo das aulas e das entrevistas semi-estruturadas, e respostas a questionários escritos. Os resultados mostraram que a maioria dos participantes concebeu o Sol como constituído por fogo e as manchas\ud solares como buracos na superfície solar. Embora alguns alunos soubessem que um espectro pode ser formado por um prisma ou rede de difração, a maior parte deles desconhecia a natureza das linhas espectrais. Ao longo do curso, este tema foi trabalhado com uma abordagem prática com observação do espectro solar e de lâmpadas e em aulas expositivo-dialogadas. Os resultados obtidos no curso apontam para a importância dos centros de ciências como parceiros da educação formal. Neste caso específico, a\ud Sala Solar do Observatório Dietrich Schiel é um ambiente propício para o ensino de física moderna no ensino médio.This work analyses results obtained in a solar physics course for high school students\ud promoted at the Dietrich Schiel Observatory of the University of São Paulo (USP). The course was elaborated by the authors with the intention of investigating student’s concepts about the Sun, teaching topics of modern physics related to the Sun and providing students with knowledge about our star as well. The methodology of data gathering consisted of audio and video records of classes and of semi-structured interviews, and analysis of answers to written questionnaires. The results showed that most high school\ud students conceived the Sun as made of fire, while sunspots were thought to be holes in the Sun. Even though some students did know that a spectrum is formed using a prism or diffraction grating, most of them ignored the nature of the observed spectral lines. Through the course, this topic was developed by means of a practical approach with solar and lamp spectra observations. The results obtained in the course point to the importance of science centers as partners in formal education. In this specific case, the Solar Room at the Dietrich Schiel Observatory is as a favorable environment for teaching modern physics\ud in high school.CNPqFundação Vita

Teaching solar physics in an informal educational space

Planetários e observatórios oferecem a possibilidade de desenvolver um ensino contextualizado de Astronomia, permitindo a realização de atividades educativas que proporcionam acesso a uma ciência escolar mais autêntica. Com isso em vista, esta pesquisa consistiu no desenvolvimento, aplicação e análise de minicursos sobre o Sol, para o ensino fundamental e física solar, para o ensino médio em um espaço não formal de educação, o Observatório Astronômico do CDCC/USP. Tópicos como a composição química, temperatura e evolução estelar foram ensinados a partir de experimentos clássicos em uma sala totalmente dedicada ao Sol, a Sala Solar com equipamentos de baixo custo. Os cursos enfatizaram atividades práticas, observacionais e questionadoras, como discussões sobre a natureza do Sol, manchas solares e proeminências, estimativas da temperatura da fotosfera, observaçã do espectro solar na região do visível e identicação das linhas de absorção entendendo como são produzidas e que tipo de informações podem ser extraídas a partir delas. O objetivo do curso do ensino fundamental foi mostrar que o Sol e um astro dinâmico e que influencia a Terra de diversas maneiras, além de contextualizar o conteúudo ensinado com atividades práticas. O objetivo do curso do ensino médio foi compreender o papel chave desempenhado pela espectroscopia na astrofísica e permitir abordagens interdisciplinares incluíndo física moderna e química no ensino de Astronomia. A metodologia de pesquisa consistiu de uma abordagem qualitativa com a realização de questionários escritos, entrevistas semi-estruturadas e lmagens. Antes dos cursos, muitos alunos concebiam o Sol como sendo uma esfera quente de fogo, as manchas solares como sendo buracos no Sol e as proeminências como magma expelido por vulcões. Após a realizaçã dos cursos os alunos apresentaram ideias sobre o Sol e aspectos de física solar mais próximas das aceitas hoje em dia pela comunidade cientca. Esta pesquisa não ficou restrita aos ganhos cognitivos dos alunos após a realização dos minicursos, pois considerou a interação de diferentes contextos responsáveis pela aprendizagem em museus de ciências. Isso foi possível pelo referencial teórico adotado: o Modelo Contextual de Aprendizagem de Falk e Dierking. Trabalhar conteudos astronômicos de forma interdisciplinar e ao mesmo tempo de maneira ativa e questionadora traz alguns desafios para as equipes de instituições como o Observatório. As atividades elaboradas nos centros de ciências devem ter como principal objetivo despertar o interesse do aprendiz pela ciência, mas também destacamos a necessidade da oferta de minicursos para voluntários, pois a linguagem, conteúdos e metodologias em atividades mais longas podem facilitar abordagens interdisciplinares e integradoras da Astronomia com outras áreas do conhecimento científico pouco exploradas nas salas de aula. Isso pode ocorrer quando o projeto pedagógico da escola é construído coletivamente, envolvendo museus de ciências, professores, escola e alunos buscando conciliar propostas de um ensino de ciências que considere o contexto fora da escola e que ao mesmo tempo tenha relação com o que o aluno está estudando em sala de aula.Observatories and planetariums offer the possibility of developing contextualized astronomy teaching by fostering educational activities that provide access to a more authentic school science. Thus, this research consisted in developing, applying and evaluating courses about the Sun for middle, junior high school students and solar physics for high school students in an informal educational space, the CDCC/USP Astronomical Observatory. Topics of chemical composition, temperature and stellar evolution were taught in a room totally dedicated to the study of the Sun, a Solar Room, designed with simple and inexpensive equipment. The course strongly emphasized practical, observational and inquirybased activities, such as estimation of the solar surface temperature, observation of the visible solar spectrum, identication of solar absorption lines, understanding how they are produced, and what kind of information can be extracted from the observed spectral lines. Some of the course goals were to foster the comprehension of the key role played by spectroscopy in astrophysics, to contextualize contents with practical activities, and to allow interdisciplinary approaches including modern physics and chemistry in physics teaching. The research methodology consisted of a qualitative approach by fillming the whole course and performing written questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Before the courses were applied most students conceived the Sun as a hot sphere composed of fire, sunspots as holes in the Sun and solar prominences as magma expelled by volcanoes. After the courses students presented ideas about the Sun and solar physics more closely related to the ones accepted by contemporary science. This research was not restricted to students\' cognitive gains after concluding the courses, since it considered the interaction of different contexts responsible for learning in science museums. This was possible due to the theoretical framework adopted: The Contextual Model of Learning of Falk and Dierking. Some challenges have to be faced by institutions such as the Astronomical Observatory in order to teach astronomy in an interdisciplinary form and with inquiry-based activities The activities developed at science centers must have as their main objective to motivate the public towards science, but it is also important to offer courses for volunteers, since language, contents and methodologies in longer activities can facilitate interdisciplinary approaches of Astronomy with other areas of scientic knowledge seldom explored in classrooms. This can happen when the school\'s educational project is collectively constructed including science museums, teachers, school and students by seeking to enhance teaching proposals that consider the out of school context and is related to contents taught in the classroom

Education in Science Centers: Evaluating School Visits to an Astronomical Observatory in Brazil

The present article analyzes the activity “Guided Visit of School Groups” carried out at Astronomical Observatory of the Center for Scientific and Cultural Diffusion (CDCC) of University of Sao Paulo (USP) with K4 and K5 pupils. The objectives of this research were to identify influences of such activity on learning of astronomical concepts and on pupils’ motivation. The results demonstrate that pupils have difficulties to understand Solar System concepts and the distances involved, on the other hand, the activity motivates the pupils to return with their parents and friends to the Observatory. At last, the success of visits to science centers aiming at the learning of basic concepts and motivation comprises at least three moments: the one that precedes the visit, the visit itself and the return to the classroom

Solar Physics Topics In High School: Analysis Of A Course With Practical Activities At Dietrich Schiel Observatory

This work analyses results obtained in a solar physics course for high school students promoted at the Dietrich Schiel Observatory of the University of São Paulo (USP). The course was elaborated by the authors with the intention of investigating student’s concepts about the Sun, teaching topics of modern physics related to the Sun and providing students with knowledge about our star as well. The methodology of data gathering consisted of audio and video records of classes and of semi-structured interviews, and analysis of answers to written questionnaires. The results showed that most high school students conceived the Sun as made of fire, while sunspots were thought to be holes in the Sun. Even though some students did know that a spectrum is formed using a prism or diffraction grating, most of them ignored the nature of the observed spectral lines. Through the course, this topic was developed by means of a practical approach with solar and lamp spectra observations. The results obtained in the course point to the importance of science centers as partners in formal education. In this specific case, the Solar Room at the Dietrich Schiel Observatory is as a favorable environment for teaching modern physics in high school