110 likes | 213 Views
HOU-Spain: Astronomy as a primer to the language of science. MENU:. Exercise – The solar system as a mathlab Java applets – SCIENTIFIC DEFINITION Organization European server – National server Translation Funding – Financial rules - Scheduling. 1. The solar system as a mathlab.
E N D
HOU-Spain:Astronomy as a primer to the language of science Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
MENU: • Exercise – The solar system as a mathlab • Java applets – SCIENTIFIC DEFINITION • Organization • European server – National server • Translation • Funding – Financial rules - Scheduling Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
1. The solar system as a mathlab The UCM-experience: • Needs in the Spanish secondary and high school system. • University tests through high-school competitions and staff profs. • Astronomy courses in “methodology of mathematics education”. • Why focusing on the solar system? Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
Official Curricula in Maths(a simplified view) Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
a) NEEDS (from the School System): • Psychological motivation of the students (astronomy and games) • It has to be included WITHIN the normal lecturing hours of physics and maths (math. has 4h/week assigned – phys. 3) • Computers are nice but there is not good computer support at the Schools - JAVA • Support to the profs (spanish based) Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
b) University Tests: • Organization of Competitions with the S-HS centers. • HS profs. are accepted as members of the University Dept. with part-time duties in undergraduate education (or involved in the collaboration with the HS system). • More than 15 yrs. experience in lecturing astronomy to S-HS profs. and getting their feed-back • H-SC profs. get recognized by the education system for their involvement in the courses. Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
c) Astronomy Courses for Profs The dissemination process is already set with also an on-going system for feed-back through the Web. Lectures are concentrated in: • Astronomical coordinates – Parallax • Orbits in the solar system • Description of the solar system objects and properties. • Nearby planetary systems • Galactography and Cosmography • Some basic cosmology – Simple expansion curves. Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
d) Why the Solar System? • Accessible: observed by amateurs, life rhythm in the Earth, planetary exploration, media coverage… • Orbits can be computed and understood with the physics and mathematics in HS. • 3-D vectorial calculus, spherical coordinates and spatial vision, conical functions, functional analysis and a primer to numerical methods can be easily incorporated. • Profs. feel more comfortable with it (they know better) Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
2. JAVA applets • Practicum have to be computer-based: interactive study and tests, forwarding INFO to HS profs, developing 3-D vision from 2-D projections… • The Spanish secondary and high school system does not provide computer support (system managers). Profs. have to install the software – these makes them reluctant to these systems. Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
What kind of applets? • Vectorial analysis set • 3D representation of coordinates • Computing distances between solar system bodies and nearby stars. • Orbits: • Representation of solar system bodies orbits: e, a • Cartesian versus polar representation. • The 2nd. Kepler law – A simple kinematics problem • Introduction to numerics -Solving the Kepler Equation And many more possibilities we are considering now – Moon or Mars mapper – Diving in planetary atmospheres etc.. Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro