Develops a simple core-halo model of a galaxy that exhibits the main features of observed rotation curves and quantitatively illustrates the need to postulate halos of dark matter. Uses only elementary mechanics. (Author/MVL)

Reports on a long-term, large-scale study of a one-semester, conceptually-based, introductory astronomy course with data from more than 400 students over three semesters at the University of New Mexico. Finds that novice students show large, positive gains on assessments of conceptual understanding and connected understanding of the knowledge…

Analyzes senior high school students' astronomy conceptions by means of a written questionnaire presented during the beginning of the first semester. (Contains 42 references.) (Author/YDS)

Introduces the MicroObservatory Network of automated telescopes which is designed to provide access to classroom teachers who wish their students to conduct projects over the World Wide Web. Allows students to take pictures with remote pointing and focusing telescopes. Encourages collaboration among schools. (Contains 18 references.) (Author/YDS)

Provides information about each of the planets in our solar system. Focuses on information related to the space missions that have visited or flown near each planet, and includes a summary of what is known about some of the features of each planet. (DDR)

Presents activities designed to help children experimentally determine what the dark areas of the moon consist of, and compares primary children's ideas about the moon with those of early scientists. (WRM)

Describes trigonometric calculations of the "fullness" (as viewed from Earth) of the outer planets as a function of their semi-major axes and their positions relative to Earth and the sun. (WRM)

Describes a mathematics and science project designed to help students gain some familiarity with constellations and trigonometry by using the TI-83 calculator as a tool. Specific constellations such as the Big Dipper (Plough) and other sets of stars are located using stereographic projection and graphed using scatterplots. (MM)

Analyzes the politicization of the natural sciences curriculum in Argentinean schools in relation to evolutionist theories and the teaching of astronomy and cosmography. Concludes that the ways in which content is selected and arranged arise as a solution to ideological conflicts. (MM)

The concepts of sky and visibility distance, as perceived by different learners, are investigated for the first time as a subject of a science education research. Mental models of students with regard to the subject were elicited. They were interpreted in terms of two-level hierarchy: schemes and facets-of-knowledge (defined in the paper). Our…

In this study, we explore an alternate mode for teaching and learning the dynamic, three-dimensional (3D) relationships that are central to understanding astronomical concepts. To this end, we implemented an innovative undergraduate course in which we used inexpensive computer modeling tools. As the second of a two-paper series, this report…

This essay examines some aspects of the teaching of mathematics and its applications in three of the principal sixteenth century Spanish universities (Salamanca, Valencia and Alcala) and in other institutions sponsored by the monarchy, such as the "Casa de la Contratacion" (House of Trade) of Seville and the so-called Academy of…

In the summers of 1997, 1998, and 1999, we gave attendees (N=44) at a workshop called Teaching Astronomy Conceptually a cognitive task: to rank 200 concepts often taught in "Astronomy 101." Prior to these workshops, we asked an expert panel (N=18) of Astronomy 101 teachers to also rank these concepts. Among the workshop participants, the…

Many people believe that NASA could have faked the evidence showing that man landed on the Moon in 1969. Some opinion polls suggest that as many as 10-25% of the United States population also agree that there is the possibility that this could have happened. Numerous magazines, journals, websites and TV programmes now present the facts as…

"Voyager" is an educational card game involving scientific satellites, developed for use in schools with children aged 9 to 13 years. The idea of the game is to improve pupils' knowledge about the large number of scientific satellites there are in space in a fun way, while also practising numeracy skills. Several copies of the game were…