Workshop

6th Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education

The 6th Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education was held from the 12th of November 2024 to the 15th of November 2024 (UTC time)


The 6th Shaw-IAU Workshop is scheduled to take place: 12 - 15 November 2024. The Shaw-IAU workshops focus on astronomy education for primary and secondary school students and teacher training both in universities and in service. This year's workshop will feature two special topics: an exploration of the first two years of the James Webb Space Telescope for the scientific topic, and the crucial aspect of evaluation in educational contexts as the non-scientific topic.
The complete list of sessions is listed below:

  • Science topic –James Webb Space Telescope, the first two years
  • Special topic – evaluation
  • Astronomy education research
  • Teaching methods and tools
  • Astronomy education in schools in practice (primary and secondary schools)

Talks and posters may be presented in any language, although abstracts will need to be submitted in English. In addition, English subtitles will be required for talks and English translations for posters if they are submitted in another language.

Following their success the last couple of years we also aim to host regional or special language sessions during the Workshop.

At the conclusion of the 5th Shaw-IAU Workshop in 2023, we conducted a survey to gather feedback from attendees on their experience. This document outlines the OAE's response to the feedback provided by attendees.

For more information on projects, opportunities for collaboration, and events, please subscribe to the OAE mailing list.

To download the 6th Shaw-IAU Workshop flyer please click here

To download the 6th Shaw-IAU Workshop preliminary program please click here

Abstract submissions have closed

The sessions for the 6th Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education are listed below

Opening Session

Chair

Markus Pössel

Markus Pössel

Schedule

Science Topic: James Webb Space Telescope, the First Two Years

This session will delve into the remarkable scientific achievements made possible by the JWST, including star and galaxy formation, exoplanet characterization, and insights into the early universe. Experts will also discuss the telescope’s advanced technology and its educational impact.

Chair

Samantha Brown-Sevilla

Samantha Brown-Sevilla

Schedule

Special Topic: Evaluation

This session will showcase diverse approaches to assessing the effectiveness of astronomy education initiatives. It will explore evaluation methodologies for exploring the impact of astronomy education projects on teachers, pupils, and broader communities.

Chair

Sophie Bartlett

Sophie Bartlett

Schedule

Astronomy Education in Schools in Practice

This session will focus on astronomy education endeavours within classroom environments to explore successful practices and creation processes.

Chair

Eduardo Monfardini Penteado

Eduardo Monfardini Penteado

Schedule

Astronomy Education Research

This session will focus on the methodology and frameworks that are used in Astronomy Education Research. The session will also incorporate research into astronomy learning, teaching, and knowledge creation in astronomy, drawing connections to education, cognitive science, neuroscience and psychometrics.

Chair

Tshiamiso Makwela

Tshiamiso Makwela

Schedule

Teaching Methods and Tools

This session will focus on the many innovative ways astronomy is being taught, with practical tips on how to implement them.

Chair

Niall Deacon

Niall Deacon

Schedule

Arabic Language Community Meeting

Through the special session of Arabic-speaking countries, we seek once again to open the discussion of many topics related to astronomy and space sciences (awareness, education and development) in our Arab societies, by emphasizing on the importance of astronomy and space sciences and its role in enhancing basic concepts and skills in science and technology. This will be done by discussing how astronomy education affects the awareness in our societies, especially in light of poor and limited resources. In addition, we will present and together exchange the different astronomical projects, tools and resources that in turn can positively impact the development of the Arab societies. The session will be organized by the OAE-Egypt and the NAEC's of the Arabic countries.

Chair

Somaya Saad

Somaya Saad

Schedule

  • Thursday Nov. 14, 2024

    UTC: 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. America/New_York: 10 a.m.- noon

French Language Community Meeting

* bilan du colloque AstroEdu 2023 et les actes et annonce de AstroEdu 2025 à Epinal * présentation du noeud afrique francophone et des actions prévues * la journée astro proposée dans l'espace francophone * programme licence astro en Guinée avec invité universitaire possible * review of the AstroEdu 2023 conference and the proceedings, and announcement of AstroEdu 2025 in Epinal * presentation of the French-speaking Africa node and its planned activities * astro day in the French-speaking world * astro licence programme in Guinea with a possible university guest

Chair

Emmanuel Rollinde

Emmanuel Rollinde

Schedule

  • Thursday Nov. 14, 2024

    UTC: 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. America/New_York: 10 a.m.- noon

Hebrew Language Community Meeting

In this special session some interesting space education projects taking place in Israel will be presented by teachers and college educators. The presentations will describe initiatives that took place in the last year in Israel in the field of space education, in formal and informal education. The presentations will be in Hebrew with English subtitles, so non-Hebrew speakers are also invited. The session is organized by the Israeli NAEC Team together with the national space educators' community HORIZON.

Chair

Ayelet Weizman

Ayelet Weizman

Schedule

  • Thursday Nov. 14, 2024

    UTC: 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. America/New_York: 10 a.m.- noon

Portuguese Language Community Meeting

Astronomy Education: Pathways to Development and Peace This year, in alignment with the celebration of World Science Day for Peace and Development on November 10th, the third edition of the Portuguese-language session will be organized as a joint effort between the OAE and the Portuguese Language Office of Astronomy for Development (PLOAD). Titled Astronomy Education: Pathways to Development and Peace, this session aims to explore the potential of astronomy education as a catalyst for sustainable development, directly contributing to peace initiatives. It will feature presentations from experts with extensive experience using astronomy as a tool for development in both classroom and other educational settings, and also to think about local and global sustainable development. The session will begin with an invited introductory talk on the topic, followed by a panel showcasing practical examples of projects that utilize astronomy education for development, and will conclude with a live discussion, inviting audience participation.

Chair

Joana Latas

Joana Latas

Eduardo Monfardini Penteado

Eduardo Monfardini Penteado

Schedule

  • Thursday Nov. 14, 2024

    UTC: 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. America/New_York: 10 a.m.- noon

Romanian Language Community Meeting

This year we will organize a Romanian session within the 6th Shaw IAU workshop. The topic of our discussions will be the use of ASTRONOMIC OBSERVATIONS(through radio waves, microwaves, visible infrared spectrum, ultraviolet, x and gamma rays, etc. or gravitational waves) as teaching methods and tools to better understand both the place of Earth in the Universe and the impact of human activities, such as light pollution, on our atmosphere. This could be through simple demonstrations, naked-eye observing, online projects, astronomy education resources, using real scientific data in the classroom or remote observing to reach diverse audiences(teachers, members of the National Astronomy Committee and of Institute of the Romanian Academy, former Olympics, members of professional associations).

Chair

Elisabeta Ana Naghi

Elisabeta Ana Naghi

Schedule

  • Thursday Nov. 14, 2024

    UTC: 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. America/New_York: 10 a.m.- noon

Spanish Language Community Meeting

This year’s special session in Spanish will focus on showcasing successful educational projects implemented by NAECs in their respective countries, with a focus on identifying initiatives that can be replicated in regions with fewer resources. Our goal is to foster collaboration among Spanish-speaking NAECs and conclude the session with actionable proposals for pilot projects that can be carried out in these regions.

Chair

Samantha Brown-Sevilla

Samantha Brown-Sevilla

Schedule

  • Thursday Nov. 14, 2024

    UTC: 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. America/New_York: 10 a.m.- noon

astroEDU

AstroEDU, the open-access platform by OAE, offers educators a monthly opportunity to discover new, peer-reviewed, high-quality educational activities in the fields of astronomy, Earth sciences, and space science. AstroEDU is today in 3 different languages and is testing new technologies like the A.A.A., the A.I. Assistant (under test at the moment) that will be introduced to improve the user experience. In this workshop, we will provide an overview of the activities that have been published to date and offer insights on how to use the A.A.A. to search for the right activity to effectively integrate into the classroom. During the second part of the workshop, participants will also be guided through an interactive process that involves analyzing and discussing case studies in the context of the publication journey. This workshop is designed to introduce AstroEDU to both teachers and researchers involved in education, providing a comprehensive understanding of how to use and create high-quality educational resources that can benefit educators worldwide.

Chair

Livia Giacomini

Livia Giacomini

Schedule

  • Wednesday Nov. 13, 2024

    UTC: 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. America/New_York: 10 a.m.- 11:30 a.m.

  • continued

    Wednesday Nov. 13, 2024

    UTC: 4:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. America/New_York: 11:30 a.m.- noon

  • repeated

    Thursday Nov. 14, 2024

    UTC: 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. America/New_York: 3 a.m.- 5 a.m.

Townhall Meeting - Ethics Advisory Group

All attendees are invited to join our Townhall Meeting to explore the place role for an Ethics Advisory Committee within the OAE. The role of an ethics committee is to review evaluation and research proposals that involve human participants to ensure that individuals’ rights, safety, dignity and wellbeing are protected. The OAE intends to establish such a committee to support astronomy educators in using appropriate ethical protocols to facilitate evaluation and research into their initiatives and publish their work in academic journals. The purpose of the townhall meeting is to propose our current plans and gather feedback and perspectives from the astronomy education community about the place role of such a committee and what such a committee would be used for. Please join us and help shape the role and remit of an OAE Ethics Advisory Committee.

Chair

Sophie Bartlett

Sophie Bartlett

Schedule

  • Thursday Nov. 14, 2024

    UTC: 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. America/New_York: 8 a.m.- 9:30 a.m.

Closing session

Chair

Markus Pössel

Markus Pössel

Schedule

  • Friday Nov. 15, 2024

    UTC: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. America/New_York: 9 a.m.- 10 a.m.

The Office of Astronomy for Education is an office of the International Astronomical Union, with substantial funding from the Klaus Tschira Foundation and the Carl Zeiss Foundation.
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