Shaw-IAU Workshops by the OAE

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.