1. Why astronomy should be taught in
high school and how it can benefit
mathematics education
By Doug Edsey
“If I were again beginning my studies, I
would follow the advice of Plato and start with
mathematics.” - Galileo Galilei

2. Overview
● Why should we study astronomy and space
exploration and why should we invest in it as a
nation?
● What is the importance of offering astronomy
courses at the high school level?
● What can it do for mathematics education?
● What is the current status of high school
astronomy education?
● What barriers exist in promoting high school
astronomy education and how can we
overcome them?

3. Why study astronomy and
space exploration?
Why invest in it as a nation?
● Scientific knowledge

4. Why study astronomy and
space exploration?
Why invest in it as a nation?
● Spin-off technologies have
applications in other fields

5. Why study astronomy and
space exploration?
Why invest in it as a nation?
● Opportunities for
international cooperation

6. Why study astronomy and
space exploration?
Why invest in it as a nation?
● Great ROI both academically and financially
– Relatively few astronomers, but their research can be
quite significant
– Contrary to public perception, NASA's budget is only
0.5% of America's annual budget
● “When you innovate, you create new industries that then boost
your economy. And when you create new industries and that
becomes part of your culture, your jobs can’t go overseas
because no one else has figured out how to do it yet.”
– Neil deGrasse Tyson

7. Why study astronomy and
space exploration?
Why invest in it as a nation?
● Other sciences benefit from synergy
– Example: on board the ISS, experiments are done in biology,
biomedical research, biotechnology, physics, meteorology,
materials science, and combustion science, and other fields

8. What is the importance of offering
●
astronomy courses at the high
school level?
● It is a gateway into science
● Teaches content not offered elsewhere
in high school

9. What is the importance of offering
●
astronomy courses at the high
school level?
● Teaches
applications of high
school science and
math
● Students have
requested it!

10. ●What is the importance of offering
astronomy courses at the high
school level?
● Has a positive
impact on most
students who take it
● Fosters the wonder
and excitement to
build upcoming
scientists and
thinkers

11. ● What is the importance of offering
astronomy courses at the high
school level?
● It may help the AYP status of a school
● To make our educational system more
competitive internationally

12. What is the importance of offering
●
astronomy courses at the high
school level?
● It would add an additional science elective
●
Or it could be added as a 4th year science
course
● It is interdisciplinary and can function as a
capstone course

13. What is the importance of offering
●
astronomy courses at the high
school level?
● It may be the last
opportunity we have
to turn kids on to
science
● Astronomy can be a
lifelong practice!
– Unlike other sciences,
amateur astronomers
regularly contribute to
the field!

14. What can it do for mathematics
education?
● First, some common criticisms of or issues with
American mathematics education (K-12)
● “Math Wars”
– A heated debate over the past 20 years concerning the
classroom approach of teaching mathematics:
teacher-centered vs. student-centered.
● Lack of integration with science education
● Lack of immediate and relevant applications

15. What can it do for mathematics
education?
● Regarding the “Math Wars”...
● 63% of current high school astronomy courses are
inquiry based
● Those that aren't still typically include student-
centered activities and labs
● Math is already a component of these courses, so it
can be taught by inquiry without “fueling the fire” of
the math wars.

16. What can it do for mathematics
education?
● Regarding integration with science education...
● Standard high school math education:
– Algebra 1
– Geometry
– Algebra 2
– Pre-calculus and trigonometry (time-permitting)
● Mathematics used in high school astronomy:
– Algebra
– Geometry
– Trigonometry

17. What can it do for mathematics
education?
● More specifically, mathematics topics learned
and applied in high school astronomy include:
– Inquiry – Unit conversions
– Protractors, rulers, Calc. – Fractions
– Numbers, patterns, & – Graph or table analysis
percentages
– Solving for x
– Averages
– Evaluating functions
– Time, distance, speed
– Modeling
– Areas and volumes
– Trigonometry
– Scale drawings
– Pythagorean Theorem
– Geometry
– Vectors
– Probability – Limits, integrals, derivatives,
– Sci. Not., Logs, exps gradients (advanced)

18. What can it do for mathematics
education?
● Regarding immediate and relevant applications
of mathematics...
● Here is a course outline from a syllabus of an
astronomy course at a High School in Kenosha,
Wisconsin

19. Course Outline Example
● 1. Introduction to ● 2. Gravity & Motion ● 4. Telescopes ● 8) Beyond the Solar
Astronomy System
a. Speed & velocity a. types of telescopes
a. Scaling a. Star properties
b. Acceleration and “g’s” b. optics
b. Scientific Notation b. Stellar life cycles
c. Newton’s Laws c. nonvisible wavelengths
c. SI Review distances in space c. Milky Way & other
d. Centripetal force d. false color galaxies
d. age of the universe
e. Universal gravitation e. atmospheric windows d. Cosmology
e. speed of light
f. Mass of orbited bodies ● 5. Project Research
f. star maps
g. Escape & orbital velocities ● 6. The Solar System
g. motions in the sky
● 3. Light a. The Earth
h. lunar phases
a. definition b. The Moon & The Space
i. eclipses Race
b. wave terminology
j. Earth’s shape & size c. Solar System Overview
c. wave energy
k. theories of the universe d. Inner Planets
d. Doppler effect
l. classical astronomy e. Outer Planets & Dwarfs
e. Wein’s Law
m. history of space exploration f. Asteroids, Meteors, & Comets
f. color theory
n. heat & temperature g. The Sun
g. EM spectrum
o. planetary configurations
h. light spectra

20. What can it do for mathematics
education?
● NASA has an entire website dedicated to
“space math” which includes lessons, activities,
and homework problems for teachers (K-12) to
use either in their math or science classrooms!
http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/
● NASA has another similar website dedicated
entirely to space science education
http://teachspacescience.org/cgi-bin/ssrtop.plex

21. The current status of high school
astronomy education
● Stats on availability and popularity
– 12% of US high schools offer astronomy courses
– 3.5% of high schools student take astronomy, this is
about 80,000 kids a year
● Stats on astronomy teachers
– Most have a science background (physics or earth &
space science)
– Most have masters degrees
● Structure of the course
– Usually all-inclusive with a focus on traditional astronomy
over contemporary astronomy
– Few high school textbooks exist, so web resources are
often used

22. What barriers exist in promoting
high school astronomy education
and how can we overcome them?
● No teacher = no course
– More teachers, and preferably more trained teachers
– Few astronomy majors go into high school teaching
– No state certification for teaching astronomy
● Solutions
– We need to find teachers who would want to teach it
– We need to find or create training for non-college
astronomy teachers so that they can be HQ'ed
– Online certification programs might be a good start
– University of Wyoming

23. What barriers exist in promoting
high school astronomy education
and how can we overcome them?
● We need students interested in taking a course to be in a position to
actually take the course
– Interest in the subject by high school students is documented as
being very high, BUT...
– Students are typically pushed into the 3 major sciences and
other electives. (Doesn't carry the weight of an AP class either)
– Class schedules and other requirements don't often allow
students to make room for extra science classes
● Solutions
– Promote the course in school with brochures or guest lectures
in the other sciences
– Make astronomy a 4th year course (but then it will have no effect
on high stakes testing)
– Coordinate with colleges for college credit

24. What barriers exist in promoting
high school astronomy education
and how can we overcome them?
● Approval by higher levels of administration
(local, district, or state)
– An astronomy course may be looked at as “filler” or “fluff”
● Solutions
– There are national standards that include astronomy as
well as many state standards
– If necessary, an astronomy course can be viewed as
another physics or earth science course
– Astronomy reinforces prior learning which makes it a
great capstone course
– Possibly improves AYP scores (provided students can
take it before testing)

25. Some final thoughts from a student
● “Astronomy’s not a course where you say OK, today we’re
going to learn some random facts about stuff that if you’re not
going into organic chemistry like the hydrocarbons, or you’re
not going into quantum physics or nuclear physics or anything,
then you don’t need to know about it. But astronomy, it teaches
you where you are, what’s going on around you and everything
like that. It’s just such a course that’s necessary, because you
need to know these things. You need to know your neighbors,
you need to know who’s up and down your street, you like to
know who’s in your country, why not know your solar system,
why not know your sun, your neighbor planets and the galaxy
we’re in and all that. And the universe that you live in. It’s a
pretty big deal, and we’re a part of it.”
– Scott, grade 11

26. References and Links
● The Modern U.S. High School Astronomy Course, its Status and Makeup, and
the Effects of No Child Left Behind, By Larry Krumenaker, Astronomy Education
Review, 2009
● The Modern U.S. High School Astronomy Course, Its Status and Makeup II:
Additional Results, By Larry Krumenaker, Astronomy Education Review, 2009
● What It Would Take to Increase the Number of High School Astronomy Courses:
A Survey of Principals and a Comparison to Astronomy Teachers, and a
Prescription for Change, By Larry Krumenaker, Astronomy Education Review,
2009
● Astronomy and Astrophysics Panel Reports, National Academies Press, 1991
● Why Should We Teach Astronomy in High Schools? podcast, hosted by Colin
Jagoe, http://365daysofastronomy.org/
● http://nasa.gov/
● http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/
● http://teachspacescience.org/