Global Hands-On Universe (GHOU) is an educational program that enables students to investigate the Universe while applying tools and concepts from science, math, and technology. Using the Internet, GHOU participants request observations from an automated telescope, download images from an image archive, and analyze them with the help of image processing software.

History

The

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...

(IAU) launched the Galileo Teacher Training Program (GTTP) in 2009. GHOU is a major component of GTTP. In Asia, the AS-HOU section is represented by China and Japan. In Africa, AF-HOU is represented by Kenya, which recently launched pilot project at Kenya High in Nairobi. The research-based astronomy and astrophysics curriculum aims to introduce scientific research methodologies into secondary education. In Europe, the Hands-On Universe project is led by Dr. Ferlet and Dr A.-L. Melchior. EU-HOU has been funded through the

European Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...

(EC) program MINERVA (SOCRATES) for a two-year period (2004–2006), and through the European Community (EC) program COMENIUS (LifeLong Learning Program) for two two-year periods (2008–2010, 2010–2012). EU-HOU has extended to 15 EC countries, with national websites. The Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris is the educational center for the EU-HOU project. The EU-HOU project has developed numerous free pedagogical resources that are available on the project's website. They include: (1) the multilingual SalsaJ software, which enables secondary school pupils to handle astronomical data and analyse them. An exercise series based on this software has been developed. Associated data can be downloaded directly from the software. (2) The EUHOUMW Small Radiotelescope Network developed in the framework of the Comenius project "Connecting classrooms to the Milky Way" enables secondary school pupils to access the instruments installed in five different European countries (France, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain). Children can observe the hydrogen from the Milky Way with these 3-metres radiotelescopes. Every operation can be performed from the Web interface, available in 17 different languages, which enables the learners to reconstruct the rotation curve of the Milky Way as well as its spiral arms. Pedagogical resources (teacher's manual, simulator of observation, archives, kinesthetic activities) have been tested in teacher's training, secondary school level, and also at the undergraduate level. In North America, the US HOU project is led by the United States with support from the

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...

, the

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

, and the

Department of Energy A Ministry of Energy or Department of Energy is a government department in some countries that typically oversees the production of fuel and electricity; in the United States, however, it manages nuclear weapons development and conducts energy-re ...

. In the US, HOU has developed and pilot-tested an educational program that enables high school students to request their own observations from professional observatories. Students download telescope images to their classroom computers and use the powerful HOU image processing software to visualize and analyze their data. The High school curriculum developed by HOU integrates many of the science and math topics and skills outlined in national standards into open-ended astronomical investigations. HOU has also developed activities and tools for middle school students and products for informal science education centers. The Lawrence Hall of Science at

The University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...

, is the educational center for the HOU project.

Teacher training sessions

In the context of the European Commission

Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 The Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 (previously referred to as the "Integrated action programme in the field of lifelong learning" or the "Integrated programme") was the European Union programme for education and training. Introduction ...

, EU-HOU proposes regular European training sessions in France, at

Pierre-and-Marie-Curie University Pierre and Marie Curie University (french: link=no, Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie, UPMC), also known as Paris 6, was a public research university in Paris, France, from 1971 to 2017. The university was located on the Jussieu Campus in the L ...

in Paris, since 2010. These sessions are published on the Comenius training database (reference numbers: FR-2010-314-003, FR-2011-359-006, FR-2013-408-003). The main goal of these training sessions is to generate interest in science in the young generation with inquiry-based methods. Active methods based e.g. on kinesthesia (

Proprioception Proprioception ( ), also referred to as kinaesthesia (or kinesthesia), is the sense of self-movement, force, and body position. It is sometimes described as the "sixth sense". Proprioception is mediated by proprioceptors, mechanosensory neurons ...

) have been recently introduced to introduce modeling concepts. The training is intended to enhance the basic competencies of teachers and develop higher-level skills and expertise, primarily in

Information and communication technologies in education Educational technology (commonly abbreviated as edutech, or edtech) is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. When referred to with its abbreviation, edtech, it often refe ...

(ICT), maths and physics areas. These sessions are financed through European Commission Comenius national Agencies (

Comenius programme The Comenius programme is a European Union educational project. It concerns school-level education, and is part of the EU's Erasmus + 2014-2020 Programme. It aims "to help young people and educational staff better understand the range of European ...

). Information related to scheduled training sessions is posted on the EU-HOU website and its news. A dedicated forum in English has been opened to favour feedback from trained teachers and interaction with a wider educator and researcher community.

References

External links

Official site of Global Hands-On Universe GHOU

Official site of European Hands-On Universe EU-HOU

Official site of US Hands-On Universe US HOU

Official site of Asian Hands-On Universe AS-HOU

Official site of Spanish Hands-On Universe HOU-Spain

Official site for Teachers training sessions registering
{{Portal bar, Mathematics, Astronomy, Stars, Education, Science Science education Amateur astronomy organizations

History

Teacher training sessions

See also

References

External links