Teaching Physics through Astronomy: an object-based approach

Abstract

Astronomy plays an important role in the cultural and scientific development of students, yet it is not always valued in upper secondary school. However, many Astronomy topics can be fruitfully addressed within the Physics curriculum. In this contribution, we present two workshops designed for in-service Physics teachers, aimed at proposing strategies for integrating Astronomy into the teaching of Physics. We chose light as the disciplinary focus, considering ray optics and spectroscopy as the specific topics. Valuing our collaboration with local Museums, we structured the workshops according to an Object-Based Learning (OBL) approach, enhancing the potential of scientific instruments for learning. During the workshops, the teachers experienced different ways of integrating Astronomy in the teaching of Physics through the use of instruments, and after the workshop they were invited to reflect on the usability of the proposed activities in the classroom. The findings suggest that OBL is a valuable approach for incorporating Astronomy into the Physics curriculum.