Shaw-IAU Workshops by the OAE

This article presents a teaching sequence, that uses real exoplanet data to explore how planets form, through comparative analysis. Based on an active and situated learning approach, it focuses on observed exoplanet populations and system architectures, such as the "peas in a pod" pattern found in our galaxy. Students are encouraged to compare these systems with our own Solar System and investigate their formation processes. By simulating scientific practices, the sequence seeks to foster higher-order thinking skills, using basic physics and school-level mathematics in an astronomical context to enhance learning.

About Marcela Best

Marcela Best is a postdoctoral researcher in astronomy education at the Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH). She completed her PhD in planet formation and dynamics from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC). Her current work focuses on applying her research to the development of teaching sequences to bring this knowledge into the classroom.