[GeoffMc (Geoff)]

Hi All,

next semester I will be putting together a teaching unit for Year 10 - 12 Physics students on astrophysics as part of a course I'm doing through Canberra University. This semester I prepared one on the Sun; the theme for the companion unit is Stars. In both units, I am trying to emphasise that school astronomy does not need to be a "theoretical" subject, and by that I mean downloading yet more images and information from the net. Rather, I feel astronomy can be just as experimental as any other school science subject. In the Sun unit, for example, students start with measurements they take of solar energy output and other measurements, and work out the lifetime of the Sun. I also have activities ranging from surface feature observation and identification, through to spectroscopy using a home made DVD spectroscope (which members of this list helped make a reality). The point is they are making observations that form the substance of their calculations and conceptual learning.

I want to do the same thing for learning about stars and stellar evolution. Obviously, there is a limit to the measurements they can make without resorting to expensive equipment (which the vast majority of public schools simply cannot afford), and so I am limiting the observations to visual, either naked eye or telescopic, and using any inexpensive equipment that the kids (and teachers) can get their hands on. Some ideas are obvious, such as variables, eclipsing binaries, and so on. However, I would like to hear from anyone who has other ideas. An underlying assumption is that schools can enlist the assistance of local amateur astronomers to show students through their telescopes. The amateurs would act as telescope operators, with the students making the observations and working out from there.

Looking forward to reading your ideas.

Geoff Mc
Melrose High School, ACT