universe awareness
DESCRIPTION
"Universe Awareness"C. OdmanPresented at: Royal Astronomical Society MeetingLondonMarch 2007TRANSCRIPT
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UNIVERSE AWARENESS
UUNNAAWWEECarolina Carolina Ödman Ödman odman@[email protected]
http://www.http://www.unaweunawe.org/.org/Royal AstronomicalRoyal Astronomical Society, Society,
London, March 9 2007London, March 9 2007
• Initiative for a worldwide scientific culture.
• Expose very young (ages 4 - 10 years), underprivilegedchildren to the inspirational aspects of astronomy.
– Broaden their perspective
– Enhance their understanding of the world
– Demonstrate the power of rational thought
• By broadening children’s minds, UNAWE will helpstimulate tolerance and internationalism
UNIVERSE AWARENESS (UNAWE)
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ASTRONOMY FOR PEACE EDUCATION
• Science– Investigation, curiosity
– Ambassador for allsciences
– Development oftechnology
• Culture– History
past & in the making!
– Cultural heritage
• Multidisciplinary
– The big questions
• FUN!
– Beautiful images
– Extreme conditions
– Unreachable yetavailable to all
MOTIVATION
• Beauty and size of the Universe excite Young Children
• Basic knowledge of the Universe is a Birthright
• Ages 4 - 10 are crucial for Child Development
• Knowledge about the Universe can broaden the mind
• Why young and underprivileged children?
– Need is greatest
– Cognitive disparities increase with age
– Cultural differences less pronounced
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GOALS OF UNAWE
• Communicate the beauty and scale of the Universe toyoung children– Excite and broaden their perspectives
– Help develop a “world view”
• Use inspirational astronomy to develop cognitive skills
• Reach large numbers of children
• United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)– Universal Primary Education
– Gender Equality in Primary School
PRINCIPLES OF UNAWE
• Inspiration is paramount
– Emphasis on play and entertainment
• Bottom-up approach
– Driven by the needs of the local cultures and educators
• General approach
– Earth awareness and citizenship, membership of a diversehuman family
– Awareness of the Sun, planets, solar system, galaxy, Universe
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INGREDIENTS OF UNAWE
• Material
Games, cartoons, songs, hands-on material• Entertaining and developed by professionals (ECD/didactics)
• Translated into various languages and cultures
• Training• Dialogue, dissemination, feedback, evaluation
• Tailored to each country and community
• International Network• Communication between teachers and development
professionals worldwide
• Exchange of ideas, experience and materials
• Coordination of independant initatives
PROGRAMME
• Modular: Occupy few contact hours per year upwards
• Adapted: Languages and cultures of target groups
• Stimulating: Must cultivate imagination
• Professional: Must be developed by professionals
• Strong message: Uniform characters and settings
• Culturally relevant: Involve indigenous cultures andtheir astronomy
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• 2009
– At least 4 Emerging countries and 4 EU member states
– International Year of Astronomy…
TIMELINE
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
PREPARATIONPREPARATION
DEVELOPMENTDEVELOPMENT
IMPLEMENTATIONIMPLEMENTATION
EVALUATIONEVALUATION
PILOT PROJECTS 2006:VENEZUELA& TUNISIA
• Venezuela– UNESCO Schools network– Astronomy community
– Ministry of Science and Education
• Tunisia– Science City– Teacher training and travelling “Astro-Bus”
– Ministries of Family Affairs and of Education
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UNAWE, A GLOBAL INITIATIVE
• EU:Ireland, Italy, Netherlands,
Spain, United Kingdom
• Non-EU:Chile, Colombia, India,
Indonesia, South Africa,
Tunisia, Venezuela
Team of >20 nationalities with many teachers
UNAWE in the UK
• UK situation:– Very multicultural– Marginalised urban communities
• Large number of excellent outreach initatives– Capitalise on expertise and experience– Existing networks/programmes– Unifying efforts for 2009
• UNAWE can complement and piggy-back on existinginstruments– Target group: 4 - 10, underprivileged
– Philosophy: Astronomy as a tool for peace