using children’s observations to guide explanations in astronomy julia plummer arcadia university...

Using Children’s Observations to Guide Explanations in Astronomy

Julia PlummerArcadia University

Cynthia SlagleColonial School District

March 18, 2010

Download materials from this session

• http://www.juliaplummer.com/curriculum

• Lesson plans (sun, moon, stars, and phases of the moon)

• Research results and analysis• Materials lists and suggested

online purchase URLs• Links to related resources

NSTA 2010 Julia Plummer (Arcadia University) Using Children’s Observations Cynthia Slagle (Colonial School District)

http://www.juliaplummer.com/curriculum

Three goals for this session

1. Instruction should focus on children learning observable patterns and then explaining those patterns through the use of the actual motions of celestial objects.

2. Teachers need to be aware of and respond to children’s prior knowledge and alternative ideas about celestial motion.

3. Learning celestial motion requires that ALL children are involved kinesthetically and with their own personal use of models.


Kinesthetic learning

The focus of the lessons that we are giving you here is kinesthetic. Everything we do is kinesthetic. When you show students the path of the sun you can use the students’ own kinesthetic motion to fully engage their minds in the experience.

Third grade teacher: “Don’t be afraid to try and the kinesthetic approach really works!”


Prior KnowledgeWhat do you think? What do your students think?

• Do the stars appear to move at night? Why or why not?

• Here is the sun (poster). How big would the sun be on that scale?– How far away would you put the earth from the model

sun? – Where would the stars be?


Learning Progression Levels

• Naïve: Believes that what we observe happening in the sky is what is actually happening – e.g. Sun rises/sets because it is actually moving up

and down• Synthetic next slide• Scientific next slide

Plummer & Slagle, 2009; Vosniadou & Brewer, 1994



• Naïve• Synthetic: Combines aspects of the naïve view

with aspects of scientific explanations. – Lower level synthetic: Sun rises/sets because sun goes

up and down but earth also spins to face us towards and away from Sun.

– Upper level synthetic: Sun rises/sets because of earth’s rotation but moon rises/sets because moon goes around earth every day.

• Scientific next slide NSTA 2010 Julia Plummer (Arcadia University) Using Children’s Observations Cynthia Slagle (Colonial School District)


• Naïve• Synthetic• Scientific: Applies earth’s rotation to explain

the apparent rising/setting of sun, moon and stars on a daily basis– More advanced: Knows that Moon orbits once

every ~28 days* but that this does not cause moon to appear to rise/set


Kinesthetic vs Traditional instruction

Kinesthetic (explaining observations)

• Began mostly synthetic explanations

• Moved to 50% SCIENTIFIC explanations

• Moved to mostly scientific descriptions of OBSERVATIONS

Traditional (Definitions and sun-centered model)

• Began half naïve/ half synthetic explanations

• Moved to mostly synthetic explanations

• Descriptions of observations REGRESSED (less scientific)


Implemented kinesthetic curriculum in 3rd grade classrooms

• Analysis not complete but results look favorable (greater improvement than traditional)– Belief that their students are learning more now than before.

• Teachers report high levels of enjoyment in teaching the new strategies

• Teachers now have a better understanding of content and strategies

I think the kinesthetic stuff really helped. You can only show so many videos. I think that getting them up and moving and having the appropriate materials really is key…. Getting them to use their body… and actually be earth while we had the sun in the middle of the room really helped…(Teacher A, 3rd grade)


• I do think to be honest the initial lessons of the earth’s rotation and revolution are so critical because I think everything else really builds upon that. So as much as, that is one of the most basic concepts, I think that is really, really important. And then … as far as teaching strategies go I think [there is a] need for materials and really getting the kids out of the textbook and do it themselves see it be done, and really try it for themselves, make observations and ask questions. (Teacher B, 3rd grade)


• Honestly the I think all of the resources and the modeling, and letting the kids actually hold the models and do it themselves was most helpful. Because in the beginning I think that a lot of teachers just tend to just show them and think that they understand it but then actually putting it in their hands and saying “well, now explain it to a partner and your partner can explain it to you; or explain it to me” so I can hear their thinking, was most helpful for so many of these lesson to just actually make it hands on for them so they can understand it so much better than if I’m just showing them. (Teacher C, 3rd grade)


Return to the Main Themes

To conclude, our research suggests the following three main points about learning astronomy in elementary school:

1. Instruction should focus on children learning observable patterns and then explaining those patterns through the use of the actual motions of celestial objects.

2. Teachers need to be aware of and respond to children’s prior knowledge and alternative ideas about celestial motion.

3. Learning celestial motion requires that ALL children are involved kinesthetically and with their own personal use of models.


Thank you!

Questions?

Contact: Julia [email protected]

http://www.juliaplummer.com/curriculum/


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.juliaplummer.com/curriculum/

using children’s observations to guide explanations in astronomy julia plummer arcadia university...

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