This year’s Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education focuses on the role of astronomy in the core regions of formal, primary and secondary, education: How do we teach astronomy as its own subject? What is the role of astronomy in teaching physics or chemistry – or in communicating such a central future topic as climate change?

In sessions marked with a * we aim to hear specifically from teachers. We also address the question of how to approach those who set the framework for teaching: How can you get your administration, or at a much higher level: your education ministry, to listen to you? Last but not least we look at how to bridge the divide between the fundamentals that are commonly taught in school and results from cutting-edge research, which tend to be fascinating to students and the general public alike.

1. Teaching astronomy in primary schools: How, why, and in what context*
2. Teaching astronomy as its own subject in secondary schools*
3. Teaching astronomy as part of physics, chemistry, geography (and others) in secondary schools – astronomy as a “gateway science”*
4. Teaching astronomy as part of non-STEM subjects in secondary schools: art, music, philosophy and beyond*
5. Students in a changing climate: how can astronomy help?*
6. Astronomy education research on the role of astronomy in schools
7. Student interest in astronomy and other subjects: research and practical experience
8. Astronomy in schools: how do you get your administration and your ministry to listen?
9. How to develop an astronomy curriculum
10. Gravitational waves, black hole shadows and exoplanets: Can we make a place for cutting-edge results in schools?

Registration and abstract submission is live. Please check the website!

Source: https://astro4edu.org/shaw-iau/

Distributed by: National Astronomy Education Coordinator of Brunei Darussalam, IAU Office of Astronomy Education

Astronomy education is a powerful tool to teach students about our place in the Universe, and it is also an exciting gateway science to the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). One of the OAE’s goals is to provide astronomy educators around the world with a foundational collection of high-quality educational resources. While many excellent images are already available for public use, the OAE has identified a number of astronomy-related themes with which educators could use further support.

Participants in the contest can submit images in the following categories: star trails, meteor showers, comets, total lunar eclipses, light pollution, aurorae (still images and time-lapses), wide star fields, Sun/Moon haloes, and time-lapses of the Galilean moons orbiting Jupiter. Submissions will be evaluated by an international panel of astrophotographers and astronomy educators. In addition to aesthetic and technical criteria, the judges will consider carefully the educational value of each entry in the context of primary and secondary school teaching.

There will be three winning entries in each category; cash prizes of €750, €500 and €250 will be awarded for the first-, second-, and third-place entries respectively. All winning entries will be published in the OAE’s astronomy education resources collection under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 International Licence (note that the photographers will still retain the copyright to their images).

Submit your Astrophotos

Before submitting your entries, please read carefully the competition rules, which you can find here.

You can submit your entries here.

More information

The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together almost 12 000 active professional astronomers from more than 100 countries worldwide. Its mission is to promote and safeguard astronomy in all its aspects, including research, communication, education and development, through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as the internationally recognised authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and the surface features on them. Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world’s largest professional body for astronomers.

Contacts

Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE)
Haus der Astronomie
Heidelberg, Germany
Email: oae@astro4edu.org

Lars Lindberg Christensen
IAU Press Officer
Garching bei München, Germany
Tel: +49 89 320 06 761
Cell: +49 173 38 72 621
Email: lars@eso.org

Links

Astrophotography contest | House of Astronomy (haus-der-astronomie.de)
Office of Astronomy for Education Launches Astrophotography Contest | IAU