DE LAS NOTIFICACIONES Y LA GARANTIA DEL INTERES FISCAL

CM Sá1, L Santos2

1

AE de Castelo da Maia, Portugal

2

University of Aveiro, Portugal [email protected]

Abstract. This study presents a research based on implementation of hands-on activities for the contents Sun, Earth and Moon with in-service primary school teachers. A didactic sequence has been established to the learning objectives of the 3rd and 4th years of schooling and put into practice during a 50 hours education training course. A quasi-experimental study was designed and data collected through questionnaire and reflective portfolio analysis show that teachers of the experimental group achieved a significant improvement on scientific knowledge through the practice of hands-on activities.

Keywords.Hands-on, astronomy. 1. Introduction

Primary School programme for science integrates concepts related to the Sun, Earth, Moon and the Solar System. These topics of Astronomy science arouse interest and curiosity. As a scientific area, Astronomy develops high technology and scientific knowledge, which later are applied in various fields for the benefit of society. Its importance has triggered the increased amount of knowledge at the level of Astronomy education, since the nineties [1]. In 2009 UNESCO and the International

Astronomy Union (IAU) promoted the International Year of Astronomy. The success achieved with this event promoted astronomical education through the Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) and other initiatives allowing access to various resources and innovative activities. All this new knowledge was adapted for the elaboration of the professional development implemented with 21 teachers of 9 school of the north coast of Portugal to the purpose of disseminate hands-on activities of Astronomy.

Research data identifies misconceptions on astronomy both in students [2] and teachers [3], a number of which are due to the fact that the involved phenomena are abstract and difficult to understand both to children and teachers who have gaps in their professional development.

Hands-on activities seem to be the proper way to deal with this problem [4]. The questions to reach the answers we are looking for are: (i) Does this professional development action enable teachers to help their hands-on practice and given them support to do scientific work with students? (ii) Did this professional development action contribute to change prior misconceptions? (iii) What are the main conclusions teachers point after its implementation in class?

2. Methods

A quasi-experimental design was set up with experimental and control groups of 21 teachers which, characterized in Fig.1. All the participants are in-service teachers in 9 public schools of the north coast of Portugal, with lecturing experience between 5 to 35 years and age range of 30 to 57 years old.

Experimental group N=21 Control group N=21 Age (years) 30-4041-50 87 96 51-57 6 6 In- service (years) 05-15 9 10 16-25 6 5 26-35 6 6

Figure 1. Characteristics of the participating groups

At the time, none of the teachers had participated in a professional development action about astronomy issues.

To collect data a questionnaire was applied to both participants groups in pre and post implementation. It consists of 15 questions about Earth, Moon, Sun and Solar System. The reflective portfolio produced by each participant in the experimental group, during application of 4 hands-on activities with the class was analysed.

3. Hands-on Activities

The activities were prepared in an interdisciplinary sequence according to the learning objectives of the primary school program, related to the motion of the Earth, the Moon and the Sun-Earth-Moon System. They are organized as follows: contextualization, specific competencies, learning objectives, conceptual information, scope, materials and resources, scientific processes, security standards concerns, motivating questions, procedure to accomplish the activity, evaluation and extension of the activities. For each activity a poem from the book “Pó de Estrelas” was selected to introduce the topic, motivate and

contextualize the students for the work to be carried out.

Activity 1. Learning objectives: (i) The Earth rotates around its imaginary axis for a period of about 24 hours; (ii) The rotation of the Earth causes the day and night cycle.

Reading the poem “Rotação” brought up the following questions: “Where, in the sky, can we find the Sun?”, “What is the path of the Sun in the sky?” and “What causes day and night?”. This fact identified the need to conduct an experiment to construct a model of the sky allowing recording the apparent motion of the Sun, which was made with a transparent salad bowl. After building the model, the 5 elements teachers’ groups, drew their preliminary ideas of the Sun path, with a red marker, in the bowl. Then they registered the effective Sun position in the sky every 15 min, as seen in Fig.2 (black dots on the bowl).

Figure 2. Daily path of the Sun

Complementary, teachers also drew shadows of a little stick and of a standing colleague at different times (Fig. 3), which allowed checking the change in length, direction and shape of both shadows with

time, and infer that it is due to the Earth’s rotation movement.

Figure 3. Shadows registration

Activity 2. Learning objectives: (i) The Moon is a satellite that orbits the Earth; (ii) The moon seems to change shape, showing different stages.

Reading the poem “A Terra” allowed to contextualize activities related with the moon and its phases and put the following issues: “Can we see the Moon during the day?”, “Does the Moon always present itself in the same way?” and “Why do we always see the same face of the Moon?”

Figure 4. Observing the Moon phases On a sunny day, the teachers came to the playground to search for the Moon and were surprised to see it. Afterwards they simulated the Moon phases with a ball stuck on a spike and verified the Sun positions

relative to the Earth and the Moon, in its various phases (Fig.4).

4. Data and findings

The analysis of questionnaires (Fig. 5) reveals that teachers had difficulty in understanding the phases of the Moon and the seasons. At pre-test, 85% in the experimental group responded that the Moon cannot be seen during the day, 45% replies the Earth’s axis tilts forward and back causing the seasons, and 30% said that the Sun is closer to the Earth than the Moon. In the pos-test a significant gain on the concepts related to the Moon was found.

Figure 5. Results from questionnaire After the implementation of hands-on activities with students, each teacher

presented a reflective portfolio where the following statements stand out:

From the student point of view:

“Interestingly the same night happened an eclipse of the Moon, which many students reported.” (2nd

“It was curious that this aroused interest in students, because some kids continued to observe the moon on its own initiative.”(1

year)

st “This experimental activity conducted in a simple manner is quite illuminating, leading students to understand why the Moon always shows the same face to Earth.” (4 year)

th From the teacher’s point of view:

year)

“No doubt that the teaching of Astronomy by using the experimental education makes the subject more visible and more easily understood.”

“It was very positive and fostered in me an attitude a little safer in relation to science education.”

“So this training brought me new experiences, new ways to address and explore the contents.”

5.Discussion and conclusions

During practice sessions the teachers felt insecure with the approach and thought that activities outside the room wouldn’t have good results with students. The implementation of those activities with students revealed that they provoked interest, attention and motivation to continue conducting these Science activities’ in order to achieve an effective learning.

In accordance with some studies [4], [5], [6], hands-on activities seems to help understand unobservable phenomena and develop scientific literacy of future citizens.

This investigation revealed that an educational course for teachers to experience hands-on activities designed for students seems to be a valid option.

6. References

[1] Lelliot A, Rollnick M. Big Ideas: A Review of Astronomy Education Research 1974-2008. Int. J. Sc. Ed. 2010; 32(13): 1771-1799.

[2] Langui R. Educação em Astronomia: da Revisão Bibliográfica sobre Concepções Alternativas à necessidade de uma Ação Nacional. Caderno Brasileiro de Ensino da Física 2011; 28(2): 373-399.

[3] Trumper R. The need for change in elementary school teacher training cross college age study of future teachers’ conceptions of basic astronomy concepts. Teaching and Teacher Education 2003; 19: 309-323. [4] Trumper R. Teaching Future Teachers

basic Astronomy Concepts – Seasonal Changes – at Time of Reform in Science Education. Journal of Research in Science Teaching 2006; 43(9): 879- 906.

[5] Pereira A. Educação para a Ciência. Lisboa: Universidade Aberta; 2002. [6] Harlen W. Teaching, Learning and

Assessing Science 5-12. London: SAGE Publications.

Hands-on Activities as a