对我国高校天文学选修课开设的思考

天文学是自然科学六大基础学科之一,它推动了人类社会的进步和科技的发展.天文学对于提高民族素质、培养创新精神及科学的思维方法,建立正确的世界观、宇宙观方面有着不可替代的作用.普及天文知识,对破除迷信、反对伪科学也具有重要的科学意义.发达国家及一些发展中国家的大学、中学都普遍开设了天文学课程.目前,我国高校纷纷开设天文学选修课.但我们应从开设天文公选课的教学对象、教学目标、教学内容、教学方法等多方面进行认真思考.研究天文教育的理念、师资队伍、教材建设,以及天文教育的硬件条件,使之能满足开好天文学选修课教学需求.     

浅谈工科院校天文公共选修课的教学

天文学选修课对改善学生知识结构、加强综合素质培养有重要意义。论文针对工科院校的特点,归纳了天文学教学的目的,提出了教学内容选择的思路,分析了在教学手段上需要注意的几个问题,并对教学中存在的问题和改进的措施提出了自己的看法。     

A New Resource for College Distance Education Astronomy Laboratory Exercises

This article introduces a set of distance education astronomy laboratory exercises for use by college students and instructors and discusses first usage results. This General Astronomy Education Source exercise set contains eight two-week projects designed to guide students through both core content and mathematical applications of general astronomy material. Projects are divided between hands-on activities and computer-aided analyses of modern astronomical data. The suite of online resources includes student and instructor guides, laboratory report templates, learning objectives, video tutorials, plotting tools, and web-based applications that allow students to analyze both images and spectra of astronomical objects. A pilot usage study indicates that distance learners using these materials perform as well as or better than a comparison cohort of on-campus students. The authors are actively seeking collaborators to use these resources in astronomy courses and other educational venues.     

Enhancing Inquiry, Understanding, and Achievement in an Astronomy Multimedia Learning Environment

As an example of design-based research, this study refined an assessment strategy for simultaneously enhancing inquiry-based learning and supporting achievement on conventional assessment measures. Astronomy Village ^® : Investigating the Universe? is a software program designed to engage secondary science students in authentic and inquiry-based learning over core topics in astronomy. The software was enhanced with a 20-hour curriculum and three levels of assessment to ensure successful inquiry experiences and high-stakes achievement. The first year implementation of Astronomy Village^® yielded significant gains on a curriculum-oriented exam but not a standards-oriented test, and provided useful design insights that were integrated into the second year implementations. Significant gains were obtained on the test during the second year as well. It is expected that many existing inquiry-oriented science curricula might be similarly enhanced, and is suggested that a large-scale effort to do so might have a lasting impact on science education.     

天文星占与魏晋南北朝政治

在中国古代,天文星占对政治具有相当的影响力,历代统治者对天文星占给予了极大的重视,经常把它作为一种重要的统治手段在政治生活中运用。魏晋南北朝时期,天文星占不仅为改朝换代制造社会舆论,而且参议朝政、约束皇权,在君臣斗争中发挥着特殊作用。     

Astronomy alternative conceptions in pre-adolescent students in Western Australia

ABSTRACT

Alternative conceptions in astronomy are a road block to new learning. Astronomy content is included in the Australian Curriculum (AC) from Year 3 and then intermittently in Year 5, Year 7 and Year 10. In accepting that science is socio-culturally constructed, it is important for teachers to have a clear understanding of the alternative conceptions that students bring with them to the science classroom. This article reports on the alternative conceptions elicited from 546 students ranging from Year 5 through Year 7 using a modified form of the Astronomy Diagnostic Test [Danaia, L. (2006). Students’ experiences, perceptions and performance in junior secondary school science: An intervention study involving a remote telescope (Doctoral dissertation). Charles Sturt University, Bathurst]. Results show that some well identified alternative conceptions, such as the ‘eclipse model’ to explain the phases of the Moon, exist before students enter high school and prior to any formal learning on the topic. In addition, this research identified a number of alternative conceptions held by pre-adolescent students in Western Australia that were based on knowledge that should have been consolidated by students in Year 3, viz., the relative movements of the Earth, Moon and Sun. Armed with students’ alternative conceptions as a part of their pedagogical content knowledge, teachers can construct active learning experiences that will challenge students’ existing constructs in order to allow for new learning. This sample suggests that we need to identify the reasons behind the lack of consolidation of the foundation astronomy content of the Australian Curriculum outlined for students in Year 3.     

Recent trends in teaching Astronomy

The purpose of the Department of Physics's close association with the Gothard Observatory is to provide a foundation in basic astronomy and astrophysics during 3 semesters in Berzsenyi Daniel Teacher Training College for future Hungarian Elementary School teachers who will teach pupils to age 14 years. The courses of lectures include: Solar System, Sun, Stars, Stellar Interiors and Atmospheres, Astronomical Techniques, Extragalactic Astronomy, Cosmology. Students have outstanding opportunities to learn and to apply in their research the development of instrumentation, and the techniques of observation with telescopes. Excellent modern computing facilities for support of data analysis and theoretical work are available at Gothard Observatory. Library facilities contain a wealth of astronomical reference materials. Students have direct access to many facilities of the Department and Observatory.     

Changes in Preservice Teacher Attitudes Toward Astronomy Within a Semester-Long Astronomy Instruction and Four-Year-Long Teacher Training Programme

Teachers’ attitudes toward science, especially toward astronomy, are considered to be an important aspect of teaching and learning astronomy in school. Research findings to date remain inconclusive as to whether attitudes toward science change with the science courses taken or with increasing achievement. Therefore, preservice teacher attitudes were investigated in two contexts: the first examined how a semester-long moon phase instruction course changed preservice teacher attitudes toward astronomy, and the second considered how preservice teacher attitudes toward astronomy may change over the course of a four-year science teacher training programme. A total of 638 preservice elementary teachers participated in the study. The results indicated that a semester-long training course does not change attitudes, but the four-year programme does significantly change participant attitudes toward astronomy. Astronomy courses should be spread over the four-year programme using modules with few credit hours instead of one course with a large number of credit hours.     

Educational Research in an Introductory Astronomy Course

The lecture is a common method used in college instruction, but many teachers are questioning its effectiveness. For this study, two successive spring semester sections of introductory astronomy for non-science majors were studied. The spring 1999 semester was the instructor's first attempt to incorporate innovative instructional techniques to include hands-on, minds-on instruction within the lecture setting. The educational research involved classroom observations, personal interviews, and pre-instruction/post-instruction administration of the Texas Attitude Survey and the Astronomy Diagnostic Test. During the spring 2000 semester, the instructor modified instruction to respond to student concerns from the previous semester. Student scores for the second course showed significant improvement in astronomy content and the institutional course survey, but not in student self-efficacy.     

《格致新报》及其天地之学传播

重新整理《格致新报》传播的天文学和地理学知识,为研究19世纪末中国科学传播史提供新的文献线索。研究结果给出了:涉及天文学、地理学知识篇目共68篇,占全部期刊946篇的7.1%,其中以日心地动说、新行星的发现、经纬度测量等较为先进,同时对潮汐的成因及北极探险亦作出详细介绍。结论认为《格致新报》中天地之学内容的传播,虽然比较零散,但对中国民众的科学启蒙具有重要的意义。     

The Case of Turkish University Students and MOOCs

Though initially proposed as a means of overcoming common barriers to higher education, MOOCs often exacerbate the very issues of accessibility and exclusivity that they were designed to avoid. Students from developing countries in particular face considerable obstacles that hinder or outright prevent their enrollment in and completion of MOOCs. This study finds that, for these students, participation in MOOCs is often complicated by language barriers, limited technological resources, and prevailing Americentric or Eurocentric designs and mindsets, among other issues. These findings were determined and reinforced by a study of Turkish college students from a large state-sponsored metropolitan university, who indicated different levels of knowledge regarding MOOCs as well as various issues, concerns, and complaints. These issues of accessibility and exclusivity must be addressed before MOOCs will truly be able to democratize access to high-quality university-level education, and the best solutions are those that acknowledge the multicultural nature of their user communities.     

咸丰三年钦天监教案考述

传教士想利用科技达到其传教的目的,清廷对基督教传播的容忍却有限度。有清一朝发生在钦天监的教案共有三次。咸丰三年(1853)钦天监教案的发生不仅仅因为钦天监是西方传教士与清廷角逐的主要场所,还因为咸丰帝上台后内忧外患相交迭起。这次教案仅历经短短三天,并以较为温和的方式草草结案,其原因在于:无证据;钦天监不再是双方角逐的主要阵地;咸丰帝担心从严惩治会得罪西方传教士,不利于自己的统治。     

Does Critical Thinking and Logic Education Have a Western Bias? The Case of the Nyāya School of Classical Indian Philosophy

In this paper I develop a cross‐cultural critique of contemporary critical thinking education in the United States, the United Kingdom, and those educational systems that adopt critical thinking education from the standard model used in the US and UK. The cross‐cultural critique rests on the idea that contemporary critical thinking textbooks completely ignore contributions from non‐western sources, such as those found in the African, Arabic, Buddhist, Jain, Mohist and Nyāya philosophical traditions. The exclusion of these traditions leads to the conclusion that critical thinking educators, by using standard textbooks are implicitly sending the message to their students that there are no important contributions to the study of logic and argumentation that derive from non‐western sources. As a case study I offer a sustained analysis of the so‐called Hindu Syllogism that derives from the Nyāya School of classical Indian philosophy. I close with a discussion of why contributions from non‐western sources, such as the Hindu Syllogism, belong in a Critical Thinking course as opposed to an area studies course, such as Asian Philosophy.     

Radio Astronomy: A Strong Link Between Undergraduate Education and Research

The program at the MIT Haystack Observatory has added a new opportunity for students as part of our overall national effort to encourage research by undergraduates. Radio astronomy complements other branches of astronomy, augments science education broadly, and serves to promote interdisciplinary research and education. In the past 2 years, we have conducted a successful pilot program to develop and test a program that facilitates the linking of undergraduate research and education through radio astronomy. As a result of this effort, a small radio telescope has been developed and can be used as a hands-on introduction to radio astronomical techniques and instrument calibration. The telescope is presently being commercialized so that it can be purchased as a low-cost kit for assembly. Remote access to the Haystack 37-m antenna has made it possible for students nationwide to access a research grade facility and we invite faculty everywhere who are interested in this possibility to use our facility. Undergraduate students can participate in the exciting world of research by performing experiments with the telescope. Radio astronomy materials for faculty, students, and interested amateurs have been developed are posted on our web site (http://www.haystack.mit.edu). The materials will continue to be upgraded and enhanced, and the contributions from participating teachers and students nationwide will be added to the project files. We hope to make this not only a resource for someone using our facility but also for the community in general.We are now bringing the Haystack telescopes and radio astronomy to the broad undergraduate community. Based on our pilot experiences, we envision students everywhere being able to exploit the opportunity to strengthen their education through practical research using radio astronomy.     

Learning environments on the World Wide Web: experiences from Astronomy On-Line

In this article the Astronomy On-Line (AOL) learning experiment on World Wide Web (WWW) is described. As a part of AOL, educational research was carried out. The purpose of this study was to measure how students experience the new medium in their learning and how students utilize the communication facilities (group e-mail, real-time discussion) available through the WWW site. This study also describes the computational facilities available among AOL participants all around Europe     

Indian mothers' perceptions of their roles in their daughters' university course choices

This paper presents new findings on the experiences of Indian mothers in the roles they play in their daughters' higher education (HE) subject choices. Whilst there are existing studies on White British mothers and parents more generally in terms of parental involvement in education, and a growing number of papers presenting results on Bangladeshi and Pakistani parents, evidence on Indian parents (and students) is relatively sparse. In particular, there is a lack of research where Indian parents are given space to voice their own narratives in their own words. In the main, existing studies focus on parents from the viewpoint of their children as students. This qualitative study involved semi‐structured interviews with nine Indian mothers from different areas in England. Commonalities and disparities between the experiences of Indian mothers presented here and accounts of White mothers of similar class and educational backgrounds presented in existing literature are analysed using an intersectional lens. Results show that working class Indian mothers could be making up some of their disadvantage in terms of social and cultural capital through family and community networks. Furthermore, mothers regard younger relatives as potential sources of important knowledge and resources that could help them and their daughters navigate the HE landscape. This has not been found in studies on White mothers where the emphasis instead has been on the exchange of knowledge from adults to the younger generation. This article arises out of an ESRC funded doctoral study of choice at university for British South Asian women.     

中国古代的星官命名及其象征意义——以《隋书·天文志》为中心

《隋书.天文志》所见星官的命名,完全比照了人间帝国的整体实态,因而在天上的星空世界中也形成了一个对应于人间社会的天上王国。若以帝王政治为参照,举凡帝王后宫、职官系统、名物制度、祭祀神位、商品经济以及边疆民族等方面,都能在天上的星官世界中加以落实和对应。从这个意义上说,星官的命名及其象征意义凸现了中国古代"天人合一"的思想观念,在很大程度上是为帝王"通天"的星占需要而服务的。     

Community projects and excluded young people: reflections on a participatory narrative research approach

Inclusive education over the last decade has become a frequently used concept in the international literature and has been accorded legitimacy through various international declarations. In India, it has gained currency with its usage in government documents, in schools and in the popular media. This paper reviews the literature in the field of inclusive education in the Indian context with an aim to elucidate the different perspectives in its understandings and various conflicts in its conceptualization, while identifying significant gaps. The paper begins by adopting a chronological approach, tracing the development of this concept. Further engagement with the literature attempts to seek answers to questions such as who is included, into what they are included and why they are included. Based on reflections gathered from the literature, it is noted that the field of inclusive education is driven by a rather narrow and limiting perspective. It is therefore argued that inclusive education must be regarded as an approach encompassing the broader education system. Only when understood as such, can we fulfil our goal of education for all.     

The Vibrating Universe: Astronomy for the Deaf

The Deaf have often been overlooked when designing informal STEM education and public outreach activities. Astronomers at UC Riverside and teachers at the California School for the Deaf, Riverside (CSDR), have designed an astronomy workshop aimed specifically for the Deaf using the school’s on-site sound lab. We have used astronomy for this workshop because the field has a significant edge over other sciences to act as portal for K-12 engagement in science given the imagery it presents, the answers it offers to grand questions, and its interdisciplinary nature. The workshop is an unconventional activity that excites the students and provides a positive experience in astronomy, based on knowledge that they already acquired beforehand in the classroom. Our workshop uses electromagnetic emissions, enhanced sounds and sonification processes of cosmic phenomena that have low frequencies and sufficiently distinguishable patterns which are delivered to students through a specialized designed sound lab for the Deaf. Storytelling paired with videos and images are used to give understandable meaning to the sounds of the Universe. Positive feedback was collected from over 80 students who participated in our workshop. Our activity can be reproduced elsewhere to further engage the Deaf community in science.