{"id":202568,"date":"2024-08-26T12:26:30","date_gmt":"2024-08-26T22:26:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=202568"},"modified":"2024-08-26T12:28:16","modified_gmt":"2024-08-26T22:28:16","slug":"ifa-hs-teachers-hands-on-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/26\/ifa-hs-teachers-hands-on-training\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> astronomers give high school teachers hands-on training"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"people
Participants learn about asteroids orbiting within the Solar System.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This summer, the University of Â鶹´«Ã½\u2019s<\/span> Institute for Astronomy<\/a> (IfA<\/abbr>) welcomed 10 high school teachers from across the state for an exciting week of professional development. The inaugural TeachAstro workshop<\/a>, held June 10–14, aimed to boost the skills and knowledge of Â鶹´«Ã½\u2019s<\/span> high school STEM<\/abbr> (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) teachers.<\/p>\n

“TeachAstro aims to connect state-of-the-art astronomy with the students of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, by sharing IfA<\/abbr>\u2019s knowledge and tools with Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> teachers, who can then take that back to their classrooms,” said UH<\/abbr> astronomer Michael Liu, a faculty member at IfA<\/abbr> and director of TeachAstro. “It was incredibly rewarding to experience the dedication and enthusiasm of our first cohort of teachers to realize this goal.”<\/p>\n

Teachers apply IfA<\/abbr> insights<\/h2>\n
\"star
Stunning star cluster, NGC<\/abbr> 6440 nestled 28,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius. (Credit: NASA<\/abbr>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Teachers dove into hands-on research projects, attended science talks by IfA<\/abbr> astronomers, and participated in curriculum development sessions. They explored the latest astronomical data and software, learning how UH<\/abbr> researchers study star clusters and exoplanets. IfA<\/abbr> faculty Michael Nassir, Jennifer van Saders, Jonathan Williams, and Liu led the engaging sessions.<\/p>\n

“My experience with TeachAstro was very valuable. I felt it connected me to a stronger community in astronomy, which is something that I cannot obtain from my school as I am the only teacher teaching this topic,” said Laura Daclison, a teacher at Kapolei High School.<\/p>\n

The teachers worked on creating lesson plans to bring cutting-edge astronomy content into their classrooms.<\/p>\n

“The TeachAstro program was inspiring and rejuvenating. I cannot wait to use all that I have learned in my classroom and better serve my students,” said Stephanie Pickett from Kealakehe High School.<\/p>\n

IfA<\/abbr>\u2019s mission<\/h2>\n
\"group
The TeachAstro cohort will design curriculum based on content they learned in the IfA<\/abbr> workshop.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Participants also learned about the crucial role that Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> telescopes and astronomers play in protecting Earth from potentially hazardous asteroids. They enjoyed stargazing with amateur telescopes at Kapiʻolani<\/span> Park and took part in online observations using the W.M. Keck Observatory<\/a> on Maunakea.<\/p>\n

“A key part of IfA<\/abbr>\u2019s mission is to bring the wonders and joy of astronomy to the community, through programs to engage learners at many levels. We\u2019re thrilled that TeachAstro is off to such a strong start, and we\u2019re hoping this helps build a network of astronomy educators across Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> as this program continues in future summers,” said Doug Simons, IfA<\/abbr> director.<\/p>\n

Supported by a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation, the TeachAstro program will return next summer with an expanded group of teachers. Applications will open this winter.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Teachers dove into hands-on research projects, attended science talks and participated in curriculum development sessions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[34,292,313,933,9],"class_list":["post-202568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-astronomy","tag-imiloa-astronomy-center","tag-stem","tag-teacher-education","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t