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8 - Textbooks for K–12 astronomy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 May 2010

Jay Pasachoff
Affiliation:
Williams College, Massachusetts
John Percy
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
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Summary

Abstract: I report on American textbooks for kindergarten through high-school grades. Middle school, up through approximate age 15, is the last time American students are required to take science, and I provide statistics on the narrowing of the funnel containing those taking physics. I describe some recent curriculum and standards projects, and discuss the recent “less is more” trend. I conclude with comments on whether textbooks are necessary and useful, and discuss possible content and style of an ideal textbook. Astronomy is orphaned in many American schools, though it can find its way into classes through earth science or physical science courses or textbooks. We can hope that the students will wind up with better astronomical knowledge than Harry Potter, who “completed the constellation Orion on his chart” in June from his own telescopic observations during his practical astronomy exam in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling, 2003; Pasachoff, 2003a), an observation that can never have been made.

Standardized testing and the scientific funnel

A national trend in the United States since 2002 has been an increase in required standardized testing, often as part of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA). The unforeseen consequences of NCLBA seem to be an increasing rate of failures and the abandoning of topics of secondary importance - like astronomy - next to reading, writing, and arithmetic.

In New York State, for example, the percentages of students passing the 2003 mathematics exam required for high-school graduation was so far below 50 per cent that the test had to be withdrawn, though similar problems with the physics exam did not lead to a similar temporary solution (Winerip, 2003).

Type
Chapter
Information
Teaching and Learning Astronomy
Effective Strategies for Educators Worldwide
, pp. 97 - 103
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2005

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