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Early science education and astronomy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2011

David Wilgenbus  and
Pierre Léna
David Wilgenbus
Affiliation:
La main à la pâte 1, Rue Maurice-Arnoux, 92120 Montrouge, France email: david.wilgenbus@inrp.fr
Pierre Léna
Affiliation:
Délégation à l'éducation et la formation, Académie des sciences 23, Quai de Conti, 75015 Paris, France email: pierre.lena@obspm.fr
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Abstract

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Inquiry-based science education is currently receiving a consensus as a pedagogy to teach science at primary and middle school levels, with the goal to reach all children and youngsters, no matter what their future professional choices will be. By the same token, it also greatly increases the fraction of the school population in which future technicians, engineers and sciences could be recruited for further training. La main à la pâte is the name of the action undertaken by the French Académie des Sciences to develop inquiry in France, and then in many collaborating countries. The focus is on science as a whole, and not on particular disciplines such as physics, biology, and so on, since it is the understanding of scientific method and use of evidence which is at the heart of inquiry. Yet, astronomy is offering so many opportunities to demonstrate the scientific method that La main à la pâte has developed a number of inquiry activities in this field, which are presented here, such as Measuring the Earth, Calendars and cultures, the use of One Laptop per Child for Moon observations, etc.

Keywords

Inquiryscience educationEratosthenescalendarsMain à la pâte
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 5 , Symposium S260: The Role of Astronomy in Society and Culture , January 2009 , pp. 629 - 641
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2011

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