Stellar Education: Using the Planetarium to Enhance Learning and Promote Thinking

In formal and informal science education settings, fostering students' engagement, curiosity, and critical thinking skills are paramount to improving science learning. This presentation will include the innovative use of the planetarium as a dynamic tool to advance learning experiences and promote student thinking about astronomical concepts. The use of the planetarium transcends traditional classroom boundaries, immersing learners in a unique, captivating, multisensory environment that stimulates their curiosity about space science.

This presentation will explore the benefits of collaboration between an informal science venue and formal science teachers to integrate a planetarium experience with classroom curriculum. It will include information about the planning, pedagogical approach, astronomy concepts, and data collected to support conclusions about students' attitudes, learning, and thinking.

Drawing from a review of the literature and a multi-day research study involving hundreds of high school students and multiple classroom teachers, this session provides science educators with insights into designing effective planetarium-based lessons, aligning them with curriculum standards, and fostering active engagement in both the classroom and within the planetarium. Attendees will learn how the Contextual Model of Learning (Falk and Dierking, 2013) framed the research, data collection, and the analysis of data, as well as obtain an overview of the planetarium program and storylines used to enhance learning and promote thinking about space science.

Furthermore, challenges and opportunities associated with integrating a planetarium experience into educational contexts, including considerations for accessibility, budgeting, and technology integration will be discussed. Attendees will leave with an appreciation for the planetarium's potential as a catalyst for transformative learning experiences and ideas for implementing these experiences in their own classrooms. Join in to explore the myriad of ways that planetariums can invigorate science education, nurture inquisitive minds, and inspire a love of (and more interest in) astronomy.