Abstract

Contributed Talk - Splinter Education

Thursday, 15 September 2022, 17:35   (SFG 0140 / virtual Edu)

Astronomy Learning in Out-of-School Locations

Wolfgang Vieser
ESO

Extracurricular places of learning like Science Centres, Museums or Planetariums are considered to be particularly conducive to motivation. However, reducing these places only to their role as motivators neglects the enormous potential that these places have for pupils namely to try things out for themselves, to experience and to learn at their own speed in a protected space with failure as an option. Studies show that learning actually takes place in these out-of-school locations especially if learners can work interactively. In this talk I will present how ESO Supernova’s education programme uses methods of informal and non-formal learning to address the interests of both learners and teachers and how we plan to evaluate and improve programme in close collaboration with the visiting schools.