Speaker
Description
The South African national school curriculum requires teachers to teach astronomy based content( concepts and phenomenon). Many teachers enter the classroom with the same astronomy misconceptions commonly held by students, such as confusing the causes of seasons, interpreting Moon phases as Earth’s shadow, sun as the biggest star and centre of the universe, misunderstanding astronomical distances, confusing or misunderstanding sizes of planets and stars, or assuming all stars are equally distant. These misunderstandings can unintentionally be reinforced during instruction, limiting students’ ability to build accurate scientific models. This project reports on a series of professional development workshops designed to strengthen teachers’ conceptual understanding of astronomy while equipping them with strategies to identify and address misconceptions. The workshops emphasized inquiry-based learning through hands-on investigations, including physical models of Earth–Sun–Moon geometry, guided sky observation, using digital planetarium software such as Stellarium and simulation-based explorations of light, distance, and scale. Pre- and post-assessment data revealed notable improvements in teachers’ ability to recognize and correct misconceptions, as well as increased confidence in facilitating conceptual change in their classrooms. Findings suggest that professional development grounded in misconception research can significantly enhance the quality of astronomy instruction and promote deeper student understanding. The presentation will outline the workshop structure, highlight effective activities, and provide recommendations for integrating misconception-focused teaching into science curricula.
| Stream | Education, Development and Outreach |
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