paris, dec'2004astronomy-pedagogic resource ana i gómez de castro hou-spain: astronomy as a...
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Paris, Dec'2004 Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
HOU-Spain:Astronomy as a primer to the
language of science
Paris, Dec'2004 Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
MENU:
• Exercise – The solar system as a mathlab
• Java applets – SCIENTIFIC DEFINITION
• Organization – European server – National server– Translation– Funding – Financial rules - Scheduling
Paris, Dec'2004 Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
1. The solar system as a mathlab
The UCM-experience:a) Needs in the Spanish secondary and high
school system.
b) University tests through high-school competitions and staff profs.
c) Astronomy courses in “methodology of mathematics education”.
d) Why focusing on the solar system?
Paris, Dec'2004 Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
Official Curricula in Maths(a simplified view)
SUBJECTS
LEVELS
GEOMETRY REFERENCE SYSTEMS
ALGEBRA
EQUATIONS SYSTEMS
FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS
ESO-3 Figures in the plane
2-D Vectorial Calculus
Linear and quadratic
ESO-4 CONICs 2-D Trigonometric
Functions
BAC-1 Figures 3D 3-D Vectorial calculus
Matricial Calculus
CONTINUITY,MAX,MIN
BAC-2 Volumes defined by functions
3-D V.C.
Scalar,Vect-Product
Resolution of linear systems
Derivation
Integration
Paris, Dec'2004 Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
a) NEEDS (from the School System):
1. Psychological motivation of the students (astronomy and games)
2. It has to be included WITHIN the normal lecturing hours of physics and maths (math. has 4h/week assigned – phys. 3)
3. Computers are nice but there is not good computer support at the Schools - JAVA
4. Support to the profs (spanish based)
Paris, Dec'2004 Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
b) University Tests:
• Organization of Competitions with the S-HS centers.
• HS profs. are accepted as members of the University Dept. with part-time duties in undergraduate education (or involved in the collaboration with the HS system).
• More than 15 yrs. experience in lecturing astronomy to S-HS profs. and getting their feed-back
• H-SC profs. get recognized by the education system for their involvement in the courses.
Paris, Dec'2004 Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
c) Astronomy Courses for Profs
The dissemination process is already set with also an on-going system for feed-back through the Web.
Lectures are concentrated in:- Astronomical coordinates – Parallax- Orbits in the solar system - Description of the solar system objects and properties.- Nearby planetary systems- Galactography and Cosmography- Some basic cosmology – Simple expansion curves.
Paris, Dec'2004 Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
d) Why the Solar System?
• Accessible: observed by amateurs, life rhythm in the Earth, planetary exploration, media coverage…
• Orbits can be computed and understood with the physics and mathematics in HS.
• 3-D vectorial calculus, spherical coordinates and spatial vision, conical functions, functional analysis and a primer to numerical methods can be easily incorporated.
• Profs. feel more comfortable with it (they know better)
Paris, Dec'2004 Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
2. JAVA applets
• Practicum have to be computer-based: interactive study and tests, forwarding INFO to HS profs, developing 3-D vision from 2-D projections…
• The Spanish secondary and high school system does not provide computer support (system managers). Profs. have to install the software – these makes them reluctant to these systems.
Paris, Dec'2004 Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro
What kind of applets?
• Vectorial analysis set – 3D representation of coordinates
– Computing distances between solar system bodies and nearby stars.
• Orbits:– Representation of solar system bodies orbits: e, a
– Cartesian versus polar representation.
– The 2nd. Kepler law – A simple kinematics problem
• Introduction to numerics -Solving the Kepler Equation
And many more possibilities we are considering now – Moon or Mars mapper – Diving in planetary atmospheres etc..
Paris, Dec'2004 Astronomy-Pedagogic resource Ana I Gómez de Castro