The fully virtual 6th Shaw-IAU Workshop took place 12 - 15 November 2024.  The Shaw-IAU workshops focus on astronomy education for primary and secondary schools, covering topics that teachers, practitioners and NAECs find useful for their contexts.  This year's workshop featured two special topics: an exploration of the first two years of the James Webb Space Telescope and the crucial aspect of evaluation in educational contexts. 

In just two years since its launch, the James Webb Space Telescope has deeply transformed our understanding of the universe. The workshop's special science session celebrated the remarkable achievements enabled by JWST and the dedicated teams behind its success. The session was divided into three subtopics: the assembly of galaxies; the journey from star and planet formation to the study of exoplanets; and the role of JWST in outreach and education. During these sub-sessions, experts presented the latest scientific discoveries in each field, sharing insights into the telescope's observations. They also explored innovative approaches to leveraging JWST's findings for educational purposes, inspiring both students and the public to connect with the wonders of the cosmos.

This year's special topic was the Evaluation of Astronomy Education, and showcased the diverse approaches to assessing the effectiveness of astronomy education initiatives and programmes. Speakers presented a wide range of areas including teacher training, classroom interventions, technology-enhanced learning and hands-on learning. We also heard about a range of methods – qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods and some creative methods for working with diverse groups. The session was rich in approaches to assessing the impact of astronomy education endeavours across the world in terms of their impact on teachers, pupils and broader communities.

• Astronomy Education Research
• Teaching methods and tools
• Astronomy education in schools in practice (primary and secondary schools)

With over 700 attendees from 92 countries, this year's workshop incuded: 10 different sessions with 45 talks, 6 special language or regional sessions  (Arabic, Francophone, Hebrew, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish), 1 astroEDU workshop (repeated once) and a Townhall Meeting on Ethics.

All the talks will be available on the OAE Youtube Channel mid-December.