Physics & Astronomy

Strategies for Teaching ASTRO 101 is a guide for instructors of the introductory astronomy course for non-science majors. Written by two leaders in astronomy education research, the newest member of the Prentice Hall Education Innovative Series details various techniques to increase students' understanding and retention of astronomy topics, with an emphasis on making the lecture a forum for active student participation. Drawing from the large body of recent research to discover how students learn, this guide describes the application of multiple classroom-tested techniques to the task of teaching astronomy to predominantly non-science students.

• A variety of questions—Directed at the non-major student.

  • Provides instructors with questions that enable students at a variety of learning levels to test their knowledge.

• Carefully planned sequence of topics.

  • Aids instructors in guiding students through the concepts and enables students to understand the 'big ideas' in astronomy.

• A mix of teaching strategies.

  • Describes a range of options that instructors can adapt to their particular teaching situations.

• Written for ASTRO 101 instructors.

  • Gives descriptions of instructional strategies specifically for large-lecture introductory astronomy courses for non-science majors.

• Focus on deep conceptual learning.

  • Presents strategies for developing students' understanding of fundamental concepts and the 'big ideas' in astronomy.

• Variety of resources.

  • Gives example student activities, conceptual questions, and other instructional resources in the appendices.

Foreword.


Preface.


 1. Introduction.


 2. Goals and Objectives.


 3. Teaching for Understanding: Recent Results from Physics and Astronomy Education Research.


 4. Designing an Effective Syllabus.


 5. Lecturing for Active Participation.


 6. Implementing Small-Group Collaborative Learning.


 7. Strategies for Writing Effective Multiple-Choice Test Items.


 8. Alternatives to Multiple-Choice Tests.


 9. Course Evaluations: Finding Out What's Working...and What Isn't.


10. The Teaching Portfolio: Demonstrating Excellence in Teaching.


Appendix A: Seasonal Stars Lecture Tutorial.


Appendix B: Sample Think-Pair-Share Questions.


Appendix C: Astronomy Diagnostic Test.


Appendix D: Bloom's Taxonomy.


Appendix E: Collaborative Learning Tasks.


Appendix F: Sample Learning Objectives.


Appendix G: Attitude Survey.


Appendix H. Astronomy Education Research Annotated Bibliography.


References.

Astronomy  (Physics & Astronomy)

"Slater and Adams present many practical tips for teaching astronomy courses to general audiences. This book, written in a delightfully lucid and engaging style, is an excellent resource for both the beginning and experienced astronomy instructor." — Professor Harry L. Shipman, University of Delaware

"This book is like a trusted aunt: broad in viewpoint, practical and generous in advice, and respectful of your intelligence and motivation. Yet, it has the kick and detail to remind you that the authors too have often faced a room full of astronomy students and wondered if there is a better way for them to learn astronomy. I can't think of a better book for the beginning or experienced astronomy teacher who wants to thoughtfully examine the culture of the introductory astronomy classroom, and has the courage to apply the acid test: what works." — Dr. Stephen Pompea, Editor, Great Ideas for Teaching Astronomy

"Student-centered instruction that actively engages their minds, with lots of peer interaction, plenty of formative assessment integrated with instruction, and a focus on concepts. Tim Slater and Jeff Adams have brought those evidence-based hows together in this book, the first compilation of its kind. Here you will find tools—not tricks!—to make your astronomy classes more effective and exciting, to keep the electricity flowing throughout the semester. You will find a diagnostic survey to assess conceptual understanding, and an attitude survey to probe changes in students' attitudes toward astronomy in particular and science in general. Adams and Slater write from their experiences in reforming their courses." — Professor Michael Zeilik, University of New Mexico

Clickers in the Astronomy Classroom
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Clickers in the Classroom
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ISBN-10: 0805387285 | ISBN-13: 9780805387285
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ISBN-10: 032132126X | ISBN-13: 9780321321268

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ISBN-10: 0131402358 | ISBN-13: 9780131402355

Interwrite Personal Response System
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MasteringAstronomy™ Student Access Kit
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©2008 | Addison-Wesley | Access Code Card | Instock
ISBN-10: 0321582187 | ISBN-13: 9780321582188
URL:  http://www.masteringastronomy.com
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©2008 | Addison-Wesley | Access Code Card | Instock
ISBN-10: 0321582195 | ISBN-13: 9780321582195
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This title is a member of the The Educational Innovation-Astronomy Series, which also contains the titles below . You can also visit the Educational Innovation-Astronomy Series page.

• 
  Learner-Centered Astronomy Teaching: Strategies for ASTRO 101
  Slater & Adams
  ©2003 | Addison-Wesley | Paper; 167 pp | Instock
  ISBN-10: 0130466301 | ISBN-13: 9780130466303
  Brief Description | Buy from myPearsonStore

  

  Strategies for Teaching ASTRO 101 is a guide for instructors of the introductory astronomy course for non-science majors. Written by two leaders in astronomy education research, the newest member of the Prentice Hall Education Innovative Series details various techniques to increase students' understanding and retention of astronomy topics, with an emphasis on making the lecture a forum for active student participation. Drawing from the large body of recent research to discover how students learn, this guide describes the application of multiple classroom-tested techniques to the task of teaching astronomy to predominantly non-science students.

• 
  Peer Instruction for Astronomy
  Green
  ©2003 | Addison-Wesley | Paper; 178 pp | Instock
  ISBN-10: 0130263109 | ISBN-13: 9780130263100
  Brief Description | Buy from myPearsonStore

  

  For courses in Introductory Astronomy.

  Peer Instruction is a simple yet effective method for teaching science. Techniques of Peer Instruction for introductory college Physics classes were developed primarily at Harvard, and have aroused interest and excitement in the Physics Education community. This approach involves students in the teaching process, making physics more accessible to them.

  Peer Instruction is a new trend in astronomy that is finding strong interest and is ideally suited to introductory Astronomy classes. This book is an important vehicle for providing common ground for instructors using the method nationwide, and also provides a bridge to future collaborative efforts by instructors. It is key that the instructor has a large number of thought-provoking, conceptual short-answer questions aimed at a variety of class levels. While significant numbers of such questions have been published for use in Physics, Peer Instruction for Astronomy provides the first such compilation for Astronomy.

Pearson Higher Education offers special pricing when you choose to package your text with other student resources. If you're interested in creating a cost-saving package for your students contact your Pearson Higher Education representative.