Our Solar System and Beyond: Teaching Primary Science Course - Royal Observatory Greenwich

  • Home ›
  • Courses ›
  • Education ›
  • Teaching ›
  • Our Solar System and Beyond: Teaching Primary Science Course - Royal Observatory Greenwich
  • Home ›
  • Courses ›
  • Education ›
  • Teaching ›
  • Our Solar System and Beyond: Teaching Primary Science Course - Royal Observatory Greenwich

General

2 locations available
Read more about this program on the institution's website

Program Description

109555_button_read-more-about-this-program-on-the-schools-website.png

Improve your knowledge of space science to help you deliver primary science lessons that are out of this world.

Understand the Solar System and how to teach it with real-life astronomers

Understanding the Solar System and how to teach it can be a tricky business. Fortunately, astronomers at the Royal Observatory Greenwich are here to help.

In this online course, they’ll help you understand space, address some common misconceptions, and introduce you to the science and people behind real-life, cutting-edge discoveries.

You’ll also find out how to select the most appropriate resources for your primary science lessons. You’ll explore digital resources, museum tips, video chats and podcasts, and find out what works best for your students.

What topics will you cover?

Week 1 - Tackling scary science

  • Communicating space science and astronomy
  • Perceptions of science
  • Explain astronomical concepts
  • Reflect on your teaching
  • Common misconceptions

Week 2 - Teaching primary science and beyond

  • Teaching astronomy
  • Going off-curriculum

Week 3 - New science - taking it beyond the classroom

  • Real science, real scientists, real data
  • Science outside the classroom
  • What next? Incorporating new ideas in the classroom

When would you like to start?

Most FutureLearn courses run multiple times. Every run of a course has a set start date but you can join it and work through it after it starts.

  • Available now
  • 5 October 2020

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to:

  • Explain the scientific concepts behind the Sun, Earth, Moon system, the seasons, eclipses and the Solar System and interpret them in an appropriate, accurate and understandable way for your students.
  • Apply your knowledge and experiment with new methods of teaching space science.
  • Openly discuss challenging topics within the field of astronomy and space science with your class.
  • Reflect on your perceptions of science and scientists so that you can self-modify any perceptions that could potentially discourage students from exploring the subject further.
  • Identify reliable sources of information relating to cutting edge astronomy and space science and lead a discussion with your students about how real science, real people and real data relates to the world around us.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for primary school teachers and home educators, who have an interest in expanding their knowledge of space, the Solar System and science more broadly, and improving their primary science lessons.

Who will you learn with?

Dhara Patel

Astronomy Education Officer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

Liz Avery

Senior Manager: Astronomy Education at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

Patricia Skelton

Astronomy Education Officer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

Who developed the course?

Royal Observatory Greenwich

The Royal Observatory at Greenwich was founded by Charles II in 1675. Today it is a museum and science centre offering inspiring, curriculum-linked experiences delivered by real astronomers.

Join this course

Free
$0

Upgrade
$54

Unlimited (New!)
$259.99 for one year

Join free and you will get:

  • Access to this course for 5 weeks

Upgrade this course and you will get:

  • Access to this course for as long as it’s on FutureLearn
  • Access to this course’s tests as well as a print and digital Certificate of Achievement once you’re eligible

Buy Unlimited and you will get:

  • Access to this course, and hundreds of other FutureLearn short courses and tests for a year
  • A printable digital Certificate of Achievement on all short courses once you’re eligible
  • The freedom to keep access to any course you've achieved a digital Certificate of Achievement on, for as long as the course exists on FutureLearn
  • The flexibility to complete your choice of short courses in your own time within the year
Last updated Oct 2020

About the School

FutureLearn
FutureLearn

FutureLearn

Learn 100% online with world-class universities and industry experts. Develop your career, learn a new skill, or pursue your hobbies with flexible online courses.

Learn 100% online with world-class universities and industry experts. Develop your career, learn a new skill, or pursue your hobbies with flexible online courses. Read less
Albuquerque , Irvine , San Francisco , Seattle , Sydney , London , Aberdeen , Auckland , Baltimore , Barcelona , Bath , Bathurst , Bergen , Biel/Bienne , Birmingham , Bracknell , Brisbane City , Cambridge , Cape Town , Clayton , Crawley , Charlottesville , Delhi , Dublin , Dundee , Durham , Edinburgh , Enschede , Exeter , Fiesole , Geneva , Royal Borough of Greenwich , Grenoble , Groningen , Hawthorn , Hsinchu , Jerusalem , Canterbury , Hong Kong , Lancaster , Leeds , Leicester , Leuven , Madrid , Makati , Manchester , Melbourne , Ann Arbor , Milton Keynes , Montreux , Murdoch , Norman Gardens , Norwich , Oxford , Padua , Paris , Darling Heights , Reading , Rehovot , Seoul , Sheffield , Slough , Southampton , Glasgow , Guildford , Sydney , Taipei , Tokyo , Trondheim , Uppsala , Warwick , West Lafayette , York , Chicago , Newcastle , Coventry + 75 More Less
Visit the school’s website