Shaw-IAU Workshops by the OAE

"CoAstro: @n Astronomy Condo is a citizen science project that engage, during one school year, primary school teachers, in astronomy research. One of CoAstro goals is to promote the appropriation of key astronomy concepts. To assess that we apply the “Astronomy Questionnaire” (AQ), at the beginning and end of the CoAstro´s first edition.
The pretests results show low levels of teachers´ knowledge (M=20.6%; SD=9.5%). From qualitative analyses, we link those results with gaps on initial training and with the lack of astronomy relevance in the national curriculum. This factor led to teachers´ low investment in astronomy continuous training. However, the posttests results prove that CoAstro strategies can overcome this scenario and shows how everyone can learn about key astronomy concepts."

About Ilídio André Costa

Ilídio André Costa has a degree in Biology-Geology (teaching), a Master in Astronomy Teaching and a Ph.D. in Teaching and Dissemination of Sciences, all from the Faculty of Science of the University of Porto. He is a middle and high school teacher but in recent years was deployed to Astrophysics Center of the University of Porto: Porto Planetarium - Ciência Viva Center. Furthermore, he is an author of textbooks on Natural Sciences and teacher trainer (in-service and pre service teacher training). More recently, a researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences. His research areas of interest are citizen science, science education and communication, professional development, and pedagogic practice for primary, middle, and high school.