Background: Being able to think independently is a must for students to construct new knowledge in their minds. Self-explaining is a constructive learning strategy that encourages students to think for themselves and to make inferences that go beyond the given information. The Self-explain--Discuss--Re-explain (SDR) strategy adapted from…

Elementary students find it difficult to connect the apparent motion of objects in the sky with how celestial objects actually move in the solar system. As a university astronomy education researcher, the author has been investigating methods to help children learn astronomy through workshops and summer camps at science museums and planetariums.…

Although traditional lectures are still the dominant form of undergraduate instruction, there have been relatively few studies comparing various learner-centered and active learning teaching strategies to one another in order to guide professors in making informed instructional decisions. To study the impact of different active learning…

Helping students understand how to learn is an important goal for all subjects and levels of education. While this goal is highly regarded, promoting it is extremely difficult. Many times, we as teachers are consumed with how to better help our students understand the content and forget to draw their attention to how they came to understand a…

Describes an activity for observing sunspots with binoculars and other readily available materials. Introduces students to daylight astronomy. (KHR)

Presents an activity that demonstrates how a traditional activity can generate questions not typically raised in a conventional course. In the context of astrobiology, students can connect to an intriguing endeavor, the search for extraterrestrial life. (DDR)

Introduces some ideas for using space in classrooms. Provides a rationale for using space as part of the curriculum and focuses on the concept of a space mission as a vehicle for learning. Includes a list of some space-related web sites. (DDR)

Discusses the benefits of five short science courses offered to middle school age children and their parents. Reports on the participants' reactions, two to three years after taking the courses, to the course experiences, the influence of the courses on learning behavior, and the relationship between the parents and their children. (TW)