Workshop

6th Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education Abstract Submission Form

The 6th Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education is scheduled to run 12 - 14 November 2024 as a fully virtual event as in previous years.

The Shaw-IAU workshop focusses on astronomy education for primary and secondary school students and teacher training both in universities and in service. We do not encourage abstracts consisting of material primarily targetted at undergraduate and postgraduate astronomy students.

While talks may be in any language (provided the speaker provides an English transcript), abstracts should be submitted in English.

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:

  • Special science topic –James Webb Space Telescope, the first two years
  • Special non-science topic – evaluation
    Join us for this year’s special session focused on the theme of ‘Evaluating Astronomy Education Practices’. We invite submissions that showcase diverse approaches to assessing the effectiveness of astronomy education initiatives. Whether you are exploring the impact on teachers, pupils, or broader communities, we are eager to learn about your methodologies and findings. We encourage presentations that highlight creative techniques for gathering feedback, understanding perspectives, measuring knowledge gains, assessing shifts in attitudes, and more. We welcome contributions encompassing a wide range of audience groups and age demographics. Please emphasise how your evaluation strategies have been tailored to the unique characteristics of your programmes and the audiences you serve.
  • Astronomy education research
    This session will focus on Astronomy Education Research (AER), a discipline-based field known for its richness and multidimensionality. AER encompasses topics such as learning, teaching, and knowledge creation, drawing connections to education, cognitive science, neuroscience, psychometrics, and more. We invite abstract submissions that reflect the diverse and interdisciplinary nature of AER, allowing researchers to share findings from a wide range of studies.
  • Teaching methods and tools
    How can educators most effectively teach astronomy content? This is a broad question that depends on both the content, education level and resources available to the teacher. In this session we want to hear about the many innovative ways astronomy is being taught, with practical tips on how to implement them. This could be through simple demonstrations, naked-eye observing, online projects, astronomy education resources, using real scientific data in the classroom or remote observing as well as teaching methods developed to reach diverse audiences.
  • Astronomy education in schools in practice (primary and secondary schools)
    This session will center on astronomy education endeavours within classroom environments. We encourage abstract submissions showcasing successful practices and/or detailing activity creation processes. We welcome abstracts pertaining to teaching astronomy as a standalone subject or as integrated with other disciplines. Submissions are invited for both primary/elementary and secondary/high school settings.

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.

The deadline for submitting invited talk abstracts is the 19th of August 2024 at 19:59 (UTC time)

The deadline for submitting contributed talk abstracts is the 19th of August 2024 at 19:59 (UTC time)

The deadline for submitting poster abstracts is the 19th of August 2024 at 19:59 (UTC time)

If the form has been submitted successfully you will receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive a confirmation email we have not received your abstract.


Fields marked bold are required

  • About your contribution

    Please enter the title of your contribution. Maximum 100 characters.


    Please give a one sentence summary of your proposed talk or poster. Maximum 100 characters.


    Please enter the abstract of your contribution. This should be between 200 and 800 characters.


    add the names (and affiliations) of any authors for this talk other than yourself (max 500 characters)


    Please select the session you would like to submit a contribution to


    Please select if you would like to contribute a poster or a talk or (if you have been asked to do so) submit an abstract for an invited talk


    If you are submitting a talk abstract and your abstract is not accepted, would you like to present your work as a poster.


  • About you

    Please enter your surname/family name


    Please enter your given name


    If you have a suffix after their name (Snr, Jnr, III, etc.) please add it here


    What order should your name be in, given name-surname or surname-given name


    Please select your honorific/title. If you do not see your honorific/title listed here, please fill it in in the "other honorific" box below and select "other" here


    If your honorific was not in the list above, please write it here


    Please select your pronouns. If you do not see your pronouns listed here, please fill them in in the "freeform pronouns" box below and select "pronouns not listed" here


    If your pronouns were not in the list above, please write them here


    Please enter your affiliation (max 100 characters)


    Please enter your country or territory


    Please select the timezone you will probably be in while joining the workshop


    Please enter a short biography of yourself (max 750 characters). This should be written in sentences rather than being just a list of career milestones. See an example biography.


    Please enter your email address




    If your abstract is accepted, we may use the information submitted in this form to display information about you and your contribution on the 6th Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education website.



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.
Imprint | Privacy Policy
Website adapted from HTML5 UP