During a working day bringing together primary science teacher educators, dedicated to the new curriculum frameworks for the Bachelor’s degree in Primary Education and the new Master’s programme for successful teaching candidates as part of the teacher education reform, Emmanuel Rollinde led a session focused on astronomy education.
His presentation introduced key issues addressed by research in astronomy education, drawing in particular on resources from the OAE and the framework of the Big Ideas in Astronomy. The aim was to highlight how to design coherent, progressive and research-informed astronomy teaching starting from primary school, in line with The Erasmus project Astro-Journeys.
Two case studies were then explored with participants:
- A study of a Van Gogh painting: using a depiction of the night sky, participants worked on identifying celestial objects and estimating the possible date of observation represented in the painting. This activity connected art, sky observation and scientific reasoning.
- Human Orrery and time scales: an activity focusing on time scales and modelling, closely aligned with primary curriculum expectations.
The day highlighted how astronomy provides a powerful context to connect educational research, teacher training and classroom practice.
