Paris, Dec'2004Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro HOU-Spain: Astronomy as a primer...

Paris, Dec'2004 Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro

HOU-Spain:Astronomy as a primer to the

language of science


MENU:

• Exercise – The solar system as a mathlab

• Java applets – SCIENTIFIC DEFINITION

• Organization – European server – National server– Translation– Funding – Financial rules - Scheduling


1. The solar system as a mathlab

The UCM-experience:a) Needs in the Spanish secondary and high

school system.

b) University tests through high-school competitions and staff profs.

c) Astronomy courses in “methodology of mathematics education”.

d) Why focusing on the solar system?


Official Curricula in Maths(a simplified view)

SUBJECTS

LEVELS

GEOMETRY REFERENCE SYSTEMS

ALGEBRA

EQUATIONS SYSTEMS

FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS

ESO-3 Figures in the plane

2-D Vectorial Calculus

Linear and quadratic

ESO-4 CONICs 2-D Trigonometric

Functions

BAC-1 Figures 3D 3-D Vectorial calculus

Matricial Calculus

CONTINUITY,MAX,MIN

BAC-2 Volumes defined by functions

3-D V.C.

Scalar,Vect-Product

Resolution of linear systems

Derivation

Integration


a) NEEDS (from the School System):

1. Psychological motivation of the students (astronomy and games)

2. It has to be included WITHIN the normal lecturing hours of physics and maths (math. has 4h/week assigned – phys. 3)

3. Computers are nice but there is not good computer support at the Schools - JAVA

4. Support to the profs (spanish based)


b) University Tests:

• Organization of Competitions with the S-HS centers.

• HS profs. are accepted as members of the University Dept. with part-time duties in undergraduate education (or involved in the collaboration with the HS system).

• More than 15 yrs. experience in lecturing astronomy to S-HS profs. and getting their feed-back

• H-SC profs. get recognized by the education system for their involvement in the courses.


c) Astronomy Courses for Profs

The dissemination process is already set with also an on-going system for feed-back through the Web.

Lectures are concentrated in:- Astronomical coordinates – Parallax- Orbits in the solar system - Description of the solar system objects and properties.- Nearby planetary systems- Galactography and Cosmography- Some basic cosmology – Simple expansion curves.


d) Why the Solar System?

• Accessible: observed by amateurs, life rhythm in the Earth, planetary exploration, media coverage…

• Orbits can be computed and understood with the physics and mathematics in HS.

• 3-D vectorial calculus, spherical coordinates and spatial vision, conical functions, functional analysis and a primer to numerical methods can be easily incorporated.

• Profs. feel more comfortable with it (they know better)


2. JAVA applets

• Practicum have to be computer-based: interactive study and tests, forwarding INFO to HS profs, developing 3-D vision from 2-D projections…

• The Spanish secondary and high school system does not provide computer support (system managers). Profs. have to install the software – these makes them reluctant to these systems.


What kind of applets?

• Vectorial analysis set – 3D representation of coordinates

– Computing distances between solar system bodies and nearby stars.

• Orbits:– Representation of solar system bodies orbits: e, a

– Cartesian versus polar representation.

– The 2nd. Kepler law – A simple kinematics problem

• Introduction to numerics -Solving the Kepler Equation

And many more possibilities we are considering now – Moon or Mars mapper – Diving in planetary atmospheres etc..

Paris, Dec'2004Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro HOU-Spain: Astronomy as a primer...

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