"Slacker Astronomy" is a weekly podcast that covers a recent astronomical news event or discovery. The show has a unique style consisting of irreverent, over-the-top humor combined with a healthy dose of hard science. According to our demographic analysis, the combination of this style and the unique podcasting distribution mechanism allows the…

This article describes the experiences of a former astronomer who is making the transition to astronomy education research as an international graduate student in the United States. The article describes the author's encounters with education research, its methodologies, and his changing research interests as he progresses through the graduate…

Developments in the laboratory-based teaching of physics and astronomy are resulting from the collaboration between conventional and distance teaching universities. The collaboration, piCETL, is one of the Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning established as a result of a broad initiative by the Higher Education Funding Council for…

A few new wrinkles have been added to the popular activity of building a scale model of the solar system. Students can learn about maps and scaling using easily accessible online resources that include satellite images. This is accomplished by taking advantage of some of the special features of Google Earth. This activity gives students a much…

This study explored the relationship between academic orientation, academic achievement, and interest in night-sky watching (noctcaelador). Participants included 117 students enrolled in undergraduate psychology classes who completed the Survey of Academic Orientations (SAO; Davidson, Beck, & Silver, 1999), Noctcaelador Inventory (NI; Kelly,…

Tiered instruction is grouping students for instruction based on their prior background knowledge in a given subject area. In this study, students were either in a control secondary science classroom or a classroom in which instruction was tiered. The tiered instruction was designed to match high, middle, or low levels of background knowledge on…

In this article, the author presents informal surveys conducted on students regarding their opinions on the meaning of their existence. A total of 740 student responses are collected and summarized from eight sections of Astronomy 100. As a result of the study, it is apparent that "purpose in life" is of fundamental importance to students. The…

This paper presents a new strategy to be implemented in Bulgarian schools in teaching physics and astronomy to students with impaired hearing at grades 7 (13-year-old students) and 8 (14-year-old students). The strategy provides effective education for students with hearing disabilities in mainstream schools as well as for those attending…

A simple photometer constructed from an LED and an op amp can be used to measure light in a number of physical situations. A variety of LEDs exist to investigate different wavelength ranges. Combined with an inexpensive transit, the LED photometer can be used to carry out skylight studies and atmospheric optical depth measurements. The activities…

This book examines the planets and other objects in space that make up the solar system. It also shows how technology helps students learn about our neighbors in space. The suggested age range for this book is 3-8 with a guided reading level of Q-R. The Fry level is 3.2.

It is shown that the well-known Lorentz formula for time dilation can be derived from a distance-time graph plotted for a spaceship communicating with Earth.

This article presents four Idea-Sparkers that were submitted by Jason McKinney, a graduate student at Southern Mississippi University and a 1st-grade teacher at Pisgah Elementary in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. First is entitled, "Raceway in the Classroom." This activity can help increase children's fluency and ability to identify numerous…

This research consists of a longitudinal study of 12 female elementary preservice teachers' conceptual understanding over the course of several months. The context in which the participants received instruction was in an inquiry-based physics course, and the targeted science content was the cause of moon phases. Qualitative research methods,…

Communications and mainstream media are entering a new age of on-demand content. As digital video recorders, like TiVo, change how we watch television, podcasts are taking the spoken word in its own on-demand direction. Astronomy podcasts allow listeners to get up-to-date content on a variety of topics ranging from what's in the sky to what's in…

The results of administering the Astronomy Diagnostic Test (ADT) to introductory astronomy students at Henry Ford Community College over three years have shown gains comparable with national averages. Results have also accurately corresponded to course goals, showing greater gains in topics covered in more detail, and lower gains in topics covered…