Welcome to Astronomy Education

Alliance Meeting and Global

Hands-on Universe 2014

25 Years of Great, Collaborative,

Inquiry Based Science and Education

around the World

Thanks to the Fantastic Local Organizers –

Lina, Ana, Rosa, Thilina, Carlos, and more!

This is not the education of the future:

• GHOU is the Education of the Future:

What is Global GHOU?

From Steve Carpenter, US HOU Teacher:

“GHOU is all that is the best in

teaching.”(he is not exaggerating)

• Hands-On • Real Data

• Great Teacher Workshops • Real Discoveries

• Inquiry Based • Learner Centered

• Great Software • Great People

• Real and remote telescopes • Fun!!

--- Growing body of evidence (and we all know

this) – kids get more inspired and get smarter

• The Agenda reflects a huge diversity and richness of

topics, people, nations, cultures, methods and styles of

teaching. GHOU is an amazing example of

independently/jointly developed resources/meta-

resouces (teacher workshops) for the common good.

• Almost everywhere we go – classrooms, villages in

Africa, small towns in Chile – we find people who want

more of us! Success!

The Key Ingredient: The powerful touch which GHOU people have with students and teachers…

HOU exists, succeeds, thrives, and will grow rapidly

because of you and our GHOU colleagues around the

world! Thank so much to you!!! You are all remarkable!

Some Early HOU People

GHOU’ers:

– Teachers

– Scientists

– Program Developers and Leaders

– Educators of all sorts

– People who early on wanted to make a difference in

science education (Anne-Laure, Roger, Michel,Hide and

Hongfeng, Rosa, Leonora!)

– People who want to change the future

– People who want to be part of an exciting, sustainable

collaboration, and associate with very good people.

GHOU and I:

• �Have personal and professional goals to help all of us

succeed

• Sharing what we have learned from around the world,

• Learning from others, and helping others in GHOU succeed.

• Take steps for future growth and strengthening of our

collaboration and internal funding and reaching our mission!

One View of our mission:

Significantly help build effective and powerful science,

technology, engineering, and math education based on modern

astronomy images, tools, methods, for all the world’s teachers

and students. Make the world a better place!!

Working together, sharing resources, sharing

successes, helping each other are the methods

of our mission!

Diversity and similarities of HOU Implementations: Some Typical Some Examples

Nation Core Group of GHOU/GTTP Leaders

Workshops now

Outreach Activities

Embraced by Government

Embraced by Local Schools And teachers

Outreach Activities

Chile Yes Yes Yes! No Yes Yes

Portugal Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

France Yes Yes Yes Yes!!!!! Yes Yes

Nepal Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes

Australia Yes Yes Yes A bit more Yes Yes

Most of these groups work with very little formal funding!!!

Arguably, we are one of the most successful Global Science

Education Endeavors in the solar system!

A new Story, Inspired by Last Years’ GHOU

ASAMI: After-school Science And Math Integration

Rationale: • In the United States(apologies), movement to simple and clear math standards that are clear to teach to middle school students – proportions, ratios, linear equations • Teachers are not familiar or have the time to teach to such standards, and don’t use inquiry in math • Text books are a mess • Kids are not learning these core skills and most hate math!

ASAMI:

• Twice a week, two hours a week after school

• GHOU activities, some on Salsa J, others off line

• Focused on proportions and ratios

• Gave same test before and after six weeks

• Gain = (Score(post) – Score(pre)/Score(pre)

= 46% + 15 (they learned about half again as much more than they started out with)

Proposed Deep Thought Here (speculative)

• If kids this age are turning off neurological programs in their brains that reject normal, lecture based learning, GHOU materials and methods can access parts of their neurology that is protected, otherwise

• That is, instead of kids having loops running in their head that reject any input, because they detest adult authority, we open up new paths of learning and experience and joy for them.

Conceptual Basis and Rigor

We taught big concepts and we did not teach:

• Algorithms

• Memorization

• Formulae

• We showed how these concepts were applicable in many situations

A New Page for GHOU: A Proposed GHOU Structure

• GHOU HQ in Portugal (already legal capital)

• 7 GHOU Continental coordinators (many exist already)

• Funding for regular teacher workshops for GHOU Lead Teachers = Ambassadors

• Funding for workshops led by Ambassadors

GHOU Structure

GHOU Executive

Committee

Europe North America

South America

GHOU Ambassadors

Classroom Teachers

North Asia

South Asia

Africa

We will do it!!