ARTICLES
Observation Studies of Constellations in the Earth and Space
Content Stand for Stage 3, 4 and 5 Classes: A Guide for Teachers
By John De Nobile
Doing field work on topics relating to astronomy as part of
studies in Earth and Space presents particular challenges to
teachers. Classes usually do not happen at night, and even if
they did, one would have to hope that the sky is clear and not
spoiled by city lights, or a bright moon (unless that is the focus
of investigation). Many teachers of primary grades will not have
the depth of knowledge of space phenomena that secondary
science teachers might have. It is possible that some secondary
science teachers might be a bit rusty on such topics, especially
if it has been a while since they studied them at university and
have had limited opportunities to conduct observation studies
over the years due to the problems mentioned earlier. The space
given to astronomy (pardon the pun) might also contribute to the
problem.
with my newly acquired SLR camera. They were curious about
why I would do that. The next day I showed them a photo I had
taken of Orion, and pointed out where nebulas were and the
names of some of the brighter stars. They were quite fascinated
by that. I thought nothing more of the exchange until the following
week when two of these students came running up to me with
excitement saying they had seen Orion. One even claimed to
have seen the nebula clouds through their parent’s binoculars.
What I remember most about that time was not information we
exchanged, but the excitement (and I am talking high pitched
voice excitement!) they had about their own discovery.
This is really what science is about!
It is about the awe and wonder. It is about the thrill of discovery.
It is about the joy of sharing the new knowledge of that discovery.
As one of the oldest branches of science, astronomy has made
people wonder about the objects up there in the sky for thousands
of years, and continues to do so today (Grady et al, 2003; Reidy
& Wallace, 1987; Schatzman, 1972; Skamp, 2018; UKRI, 2019).
From an educational perspective we have long known that this
fascination can become a springboard into learning more than
just facts, but how to analyse and reflect on what is being seen
and to draw conclusions (National Research Council, 2001;
Schatzman, 1972).
According to the recently released New South Wales Syllabi the
time allocated to study space is spread across stages in such a
way that students get small bites of the universe in years 5 or 6,
then years 7 or 8, then years 9 or 10. Apart from studies of the
relationship between Earth and Sun in an earlier stage, the first
opportunity for primary students to explore the wider Universe
is during Stage 3 when students are in grades 5 and 6 (NESA,
2017) and they might study the Solar System. They extend this
knowledge of the Solar System briefly in Stage 4, and do not
get to stars and other astronomical phenomena until Stage 5
(NESA, 2018). Yet we have known for a long time that school
students can be quite fascinated by space (Grady et al, 2003;
McGovern, 2004; Schatzman, 1972; Skamp, 2018; Tilley, 2012),
making studies of space and related observation work a potential
focus for developing a love of science and for germinating future
careers in STEM, from which, of course, our nation benefits. But
let’s come back to earth (so to speak) for a moment.
I have been able to experience that excitement of discovery
many times in my teaching career and watch with some pride
as students were motivated to conduct their own research and
expand their inquiry skill sets along the way. I am not alone. My
good friend and colleague Gary Tilley made a successful career
of getting primary school students, and their parents, (and
others!) excited about the wonders of outer space. The benefits
of that work to the learning skills of students were many and are
reported elsewhere in this journal (see, for example, Pinniger,
2014; Tilley, 2012). What was impressive about Tilley’s work
was that the students were learning about phenomena, such
as meteorites and galaxies, which were not included in the then
current Science & Technology primary syllabus. Through this
work, though, they were developing skills in investigation and use
of technology: important areas of learning in that syllabus (Board
of Studies NSW, 1999) congruent with working scientifically and
working technologically in current syllabi.
One of the things I have heard said by preservice teachers many
times is how difficult it is to connect students to the real Universe
other than through books or the internet when it comes to inquiry
about space and related topics. My response is always the same:
difficult maybe, but not impossible. I elaborate by reminding
them that all students need to do to experience the Universe first
hand is to look up to the sky, and that is not difficult in itself. It
does present logistical challenges for teaching, but those can
be overcome. I also tell my preservice teachers of a time when
I was a preservice teacher, on practicum in a high school, and
talking to some year 8 students about hobbies. I had told these
students of my recent hobby of taking photos of constellations
Another thing I stress upon preservice teachers is that science
is all around us. Science can be quite cheap to do as a result.
38
SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 68 NO 4