THE EUDOXOS PROJECT[1]

TEACHING SCIENCE IN SECONDARY EDUCATION THROUGH A ROBOTIC TELESCOPE

Nicholas Andrikopoulos1, Georgios Fanourakis3, 4, Georgios Th. Kalkanis2, Omiros Korakianitis1, Stavros Savas1, Nikolaos Solomos3,4, Sofoklis Sotiriou1.

1. Ellinogermaniki Agogi, Research and Development Department,

25 Doukissis Plakentias, Athens15234, Greece

2. UniversityofAthens, PedagogicalDepartment

13aNavarinouSt.,Athens40680. Greece

3. InstituteofNuclearPhysics, NRC“Demokritos”

Athens15310, Greece

4. National Astronomical Observatory for education Eudoxos

Mountain Ainos, Kefallonia, Greece

Abstract

TheEudoxos project aims at using the possibilities the Internet offers in order to transform the classroom into a research laboratory. The project studies the applicability of the emerging technology in the school sector and provides a platform that allows the students to use the AM Telescope of the Eudoxos National Observatory for Education and Research in the framework of their school curriculum. The Eudoxos project aims at demonstrating in practice how e-learning can improve and enrich the quality of the learning and teaching process in science and technology and thus should constitute an element of a new educational environment.

Description

The sky is a vast and unique laboratory of science, always in operation, accessible to everybodyat all times, where all sorts of interesting physical phenomena take place most of which is impossible to reproduce in any scientific laboratory.The project takes advantage of the natural tendency of children and youngsters to pursue pleasure and research in their activities and the fact that the observation of the sky always fascinated mankind and motivated the studies of nature and the physical laws.Furthermore, the project provides students,even from remote schools with elementary technological infrastructure, the possibility of using a technologically advanced research instrument, to comprehend scientific issues.

The aim of theEudoxos project is to utilize the ‘Andreas Michalitsianos’ (AM) telescope, a 60cm Cassegrain type remotely controlled robotic telescope with large-format CCD camera (Fig.1), in order to develop a framework to teach science subjects to High School students through aninterdisciplinary approach. The robotic telescope is installed in the Eudoxos National Observatory on the Ainos mountain of KefalliniaIsland (Ionian Sea), Greece. This large scientific instrument has been developed with funds from the Greek Government.The Eudoxos project isa collaboration of the Institute of Nuclear Physics at the National Centre for Science Research “Demokritos”, the Greek Naval Academy, The Pedagogical Institute and the Prefecture of Kefallinia and Ithaki, to be used for educational and research purposes as a working example for Distance Learning and Research(Solomos, Fanourakis, 2002).

The robotic telescope was installed in August 2001 and it is now operational. One is able to remotely request a specific observation schedule and subsequently receive the resulting photographs via the Internet, to be used for educational purposes or for scientific analysis.

Fig1. The Andreas Michalitsianos robotic telescope on location (AinosMountain, Kefallinia Island, Greece).

The project’s pedagogical approach

The proposed approach cross cuts the traditional boundary between the classroom, home, scientific laboratories and research institutions as distinct learning environments. It aims at involving the users (students, teachers) in extended episodes of playful learning. Learning involving a fun element can be more effective (Quinn). According to Lepper and Cordova (1992) learning embedded in a motivating setting (such as an observatory) improves the learning outcomes. One implication of this model is that students should be assigned activities that reflect the application of the content knowledge as it is practiced outside the classroom. The goal is to induce the learner into a "culture of practice" which makes the knowledge meaningful. Within this general framework the new technology application of Eudoxos project supports the pedagogical method of autonomous self-directing learning and allows for a self-directed acquisition of skills to meet users individual communication and learning needs. The self-learning method is supported by elements of entertainment (play and learn) in order to enhance learning by using the new communication technologies to transfer the magic of an observatory into the classroom. A learner support is supplied through an on-line manual that acts as an on-line tutor. The on-line tutor serves as the guide to the students’ work. Methodologically it is based on the learning scenarios and the lesson plans that have been developed in order to support the project’s application.

Project’s Activities

In the framework of the project a user-friendly web based educational environment is being developed in order for the telescope to be operated via queue based scheduling by high school students and their teachers (Fig.2). The development of the educational environment is the outcome of the collaborative effort of scientists, pedagogical and software experts, technicians, teachers and students.

Fig2. An advancedremote robotic telescope is tranferred into a typical classroom enabling the students to perform their own astronomical observations.

The partnership plans to adopt a heavily user-centered approach in the development of the tool. In order to do sothe project’s implementation includestwo cycles of school-centered work inreal school environments. For the first cycle an adapted curriculum is developed around a solid educational framework that captures the main learning objectives of the project (observation of the sun, the moon, planets, galaxies, nebulae, variable stars, eclipsing binaries), while during the second cycle the students and teachers of the participating schools will have the chance to design and perform their own projects by using the telescope (as for example the determination of the orbital elements of asteroidsand other ambitious projects and experiments) from their own direct astronomical observations. The project was set on experimental operation for one year in five Greek schools. Following the sucessful completion of this pilotoperation, a two cycle school centered work was designed. During the first cycle it is implemented in schools in Greece, Italy, Spain and Austria, while during the second cycle of the school centered work more schools will be allowed in the network from other European countries. The project’s evolution relies in parallel on the further development of the telescope (improvement of the access to it through the development of a higly user-friendly user interface, in order to be used for educational purposes) and the design and development of a pedagogical framework for the introduction of the scientific inquiry in science teaching at school level. The pedagogical framework includes the necessary adjustements to the normal school curriculum, teachers training (on-line seminars and workshop) and support, development of lesson plans(Fig3.) for the project’s implementation in the classroom and development of educational material (conventional and electronic).

Fig3:Byobservingthemooncraters and with the use of elementary mathematics students can measure the height h of a moon crater through its shadow (L). Withthislesson planthey are able to understand the relative positions of the earth, the sun and the moon and realize that the source of light is the sun.

Project’s objectives

The main aim for the Eudoxos project is to take advantage of the popularity of the subject of Astronomy and the attraction of the idea of using directly a first rate scientific instrument, in particular a high grade telescope, to teach studentsconcepts and ideas of science, of a multidisciplinary nature spanning through the areas of mathematics,statistics, chemistry, physics etc. and of cource astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology.

The objectives of the project are:

  • The development of a pedagogical framework that allowsfor successful application of the advanced technology in science teaching.

The project develops an innovative educational approach, which guides students through the learning process in science, by using real-time astronomical observations as possible subjects of both formal and informal investigation.

  • The enhancement of a constructionist approach in science teaching.

Usually pre-designed experiments are used in science teaching. In the framework of the project students use the telescope to set up their own experiments and observations, which they conduct autonomously. In this way the procedure of scientific inquiry is fully simulated: formulation of hypothesis, experiment design, selection of time and sky area, implementation, verification or rejection of hypothesis, evaluation and generalisation are the steps that allow for a deeper understanding of science concepts.

  • The enhancement of motivation of students.

Students are more likely to feel a sense of personalinvestment in ascientific investigation as they actively participate in theresearch procedureand add their own aesthetic touches to their observations.

  • Thedevelopment of critical capacity.

Too often students accept the readings of scientific instruments without question. When students get involved in the project’s activities they should as a result develop a healthy scepticism about the readings and a more subtle understanding of the nature of scientific information and knowledge.

  • To make connections to underlying concepts.

In the framework of the project’s application to the school communities, students are asked to design their own projects. During this procedure students figure out what things to measure and how to measure them. In the process they develop a deeper understanding of the scientific concepts underlying the investigation.

  • To understand the relationship between science and technology.

Students participating in the project gain firsthand experience in the ways that technological design can both serve and inspire scientific investigation and vice versa.

  • The development of new learning tools and educationalenvironments.

The Eudoxos project gives the opportunity to use a remotely controlled telescope in a real-time, hands-on, interactive environment to students around Europe. It enablesthe students to increase their knowledge of astronomy, astrophysics, mathematics and other science subjects; improve their computer literacy; and strengthens their critical thinking skills. A User friendly Interfacehas been developed to be an adding tool that bridges science teaching and technology. This software educational tool supports teachers and students in a new learning environment and is at the same time compatible with graphics and analysis software components, so students can easily investigate trends and patterns of the data they collect by using the telescope. Students are able to graphically view all quantities under study and the data correlations through a scatter diagram on the computer screen. This specially developed interface is also used for data download (transfer from the telescope), analysis and presentation of data, in an organized educational way. The project also has an equally important goal at the level of the social dimension of learning. It attempts to overcome the limits of the classroom by having a network of schools gathering and processing the same type of data and asking the students to compare their findings and exchange their ideas. Research thus becomes a collective process, whereby the interactions are not merely at the level of data analysis but also at the level of the formulation of hypotheses, exchange of opinions, announcement and communication of results using the collected data that are regularly submitted to a Web database.

  • The development of a concrete evaluation scheme of the educational and technological aspects.

Evaluation of both aspects of the project (technology and pedagogy) is done according to well-defined methodologies. The aim is to develop a better theoretical framework on how different types of tools and instruments support different types of thinking, reasoning and understanding. The research process that is adopted in order to study the impact of the proposed educational approach includes both measurements (achievement tests) and on field observations (video captures of the activities). In the educational aspect there will be a complete evaluation of the student’s learning and of the pedagogical framework, while in the technological aspect there will be a complete evaluation in the quality, the user-friendliness, the flexibility and durability of the products. The evaluation of the didactic approach will be performed on three aspects: evaluation of student’s learning, evaluation of the underlying pedagogical framework and ethnographical evaluation.

Added Value

Although the Eudoxos project is using a front-end technological device, the aim is not to test this technology but to focus on the results and changes on the qualitative upgrade that it can produce in the teaching procedure. The Eudoxos challenges the most difficult objective of the development of a better understanding of the opportunities, which are associated with e-learning methods, contents and resources and their impact in education in terms of organisation and management. The partnership believes that the new systems and educational tools have to start from the user. They have to be so transparent that the user can understand them and be in control of what she or he is doing.

Recent studies[2] normally describe science lessons by means of negative indicators. Students behave passively and their learning outcome is mostly not seen as a basis for the acquisition of new knowledge and for further activities in the area(Baumert, J., Lehmann 1997). Students seem to be far away from skills proposed by “scientific literacy” to become reasonable and responsible acting citizens(Fischer, 1993), meaning in short they are far away from presenting, discussing and criticising science related topics of society. The Eudoxos project contributes in changing the present situation by implementing the following innovations:

  • Teaching science through the use of an advanced scientific instrument:

The new technology offers to the participating students and teachers a unique possibility to use a scientific instrument remotely. The students are able to observe the sun, the planets, the stars, the galaxies on line. In this way their classroom is transformed into a scientific laboratory. The partnership believes that students can come to view the astronomical observations as a craft that rewards dedication and precision but simultaneously encourages a spirit of creativity, exuberance, humour, stylishness and personal expression.

  • Reinforcing interdisciplinary approaches:

The main link usually missing in the learning process is that students do not learn sufficiently through experience but through a systemic model based approach, which should be the culmination of learning efforts and not the initiation. A particularly disturbing phenomenon, that is common knowledge among educators, is that students fail to see the interconnections between closely linked phenomena or fail to understand the links of their knowledge to everyday applications. Therefore, in recent years, there is a clear focus on interdisciplinary education.This approach supports that educational experiences should be authentic and encourage students to become active learners, discover and construct knowledge. Authentic educational experiences are those that reflect real life, which is multifaceted rather than divided into neat subject-matter packages. TheEducational context of Eudoxos is not transmitted in a theoretical way but rather in a biomatic way in the form of a real life experience. Observing the sky and using a telescope is a highly interdisciplinary subject and its implications give topics for discussion in Astronomy, Cosmology, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Mechanics and clearly expanding the learning resources for students. Additionally, teachers are faced with a real challenge. Having specialised in an academic discipline may cause frustration to them when it comes to creating interdisciplinary, cross-curricular activities. Such activities demand considerable knowledge in many areas, something they may lack. Collaboration with their colleagues may help them overcome this challenge, develop positive attitudes to interdisciplinary learning and gradually adopt it and make it part of their teaching practice.

  • Promoting behaviour and process oriented learning:

After the familiarization of the students with the use of the telescope, projectsare assigned to them. They are let free to approach the phenomena and the astronomical objects (sun, planets, stars, galaxies, etc) they want to study. The students are requested to develop real problem solving practices, letting themselves free to handle situations and study them. By using the telescope and the user interface to compose their own scientific inquiring strategy, the partnership expects students to be able to engage in more meaningful and motivating science-inquiry activities. In this way these assigned projects promote creativity through new forms of content combining highly visual and interactive media with the use of innovative ways of design, delivery, access and navigation. The versatility of the tool and results is one of the most compelling factors of the project. The students are encouraged to present and further develop their results in settings that go beyond the school boundaries. Finally, the partnership believes that at the end of the project students will not see the advanced electronic equipment like the telescope and other similar measuring devices as black boxes, but as something that can “take it apart and built it again”.

Future Plans

The project is now (February 2003) on its fifth month of operation, the lesson plans and the user interface are being developed. The first stage of the implementation is planned to start in two months. The project will be further developed and optimised through the following tasks:

  • The developmentof a web based educational software that will give the opportunity to students across Europe to control the telescope and perform observations. In this way the observatory could be operated via a queue-based schedule and a network of astronomical observatories in schools across Europe will be established.
  • The upgrade of the observatory with a much smaller component that will allow the students to observe on-line the sun during the day (solar telescope).
  • The collection of input of information to the database from other more powerful telescopes including the Hubble telescope and radiotelescopes or other astronomical instruments located on earth or in space, will also be used to enhance the validity of the scientific ideas and the educational value of the project.
  • The addition of new exercises to the lesson plans to cover as many scientific topics as possible.
  • The development of a model telescope with the use of Lego® toys and the Lego Mindstorms® software which will resemble the real telescope and simulate its motion.
  • The organisation of “Astronomy Nights” which will include real time observations with the AM telescope, speeches of invited scientists and other events.
  • The optimisation of the internet connection of the telescope through the Greek satellite to be launched in the forthcoming months. Towards this direction a collaboration between NRC “Demokritos” and the Greek Telecommunications Company (OTE) for the remote operation of the telescope has already been developed.

References