Abstract
We report on the processes and findings related to the iterative design of the San Antonio Teacher Training Astronomy Academy (SATTAA). In particular, we show how the initial iteration in 2018, limited to only future (or preservice) secondary school STEM teachers, broadened to include current (or in-service) secondary school teachers in 2019, and then added primary school pre- and in-service teachers in 2020. The participants of all three years are now part of a community of practice that continues to engage in astronomy education in varied ways.
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1. Background
The degree to which a population is scientifically literate has tremendous impact on decisions individuals make on a daily basis; decisions that range from actions taken in everyday life at home to voting in response to a national referendum. It is concerning that the outcomes of national and international assessments of students' performance remain stable. For example, high school students' performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has remained steady with 40% ranking as understanding science below basic level in 2009 and 2015 (Hussar et al. 2020). In the same two assessment cycles, only 21% and 22% ranked at or above a level of proficiency in 2009 and 2015, respectively.
We view classroom teachers as key to helping youths become more scientifically literate. To that end we designed a Teacher Professional Development (TPD) program focused on astronomy education that aims to strengthen teachers' astronomy content knowledge, while also addressing associated pedagogical and technological knowledge. The interdisciplinary team consists of astronomy content and of education experts. This approach aligns with the promising practices outlined by Pompea & Russo (2020).
1.1. San Antonio Teacher Training Astronomy Academy (SATTAA)
The annual 2 week summer program was co-designed by astrophysicists and by educators who are engaged in formal and informal education. The astronomy content draws an arc from our home planet to cosmology, and makes explicit connections to learning standards, lesson design, and technology integration that is pedagogically sound. In the discussion that follows, we are focusing primarily on aspects directly associated with broadening participation.
1.2. Broadening the Participant Pool
In its first iteration in 2018, the program was offered as a pilot and only future (preservice) secondary school teachers were invited to participate in what was then offered as a face-to-face program. The following year, we added current (in-service) secondary school teachers and one primary school teacher to the program which again was offered in face-to-face format. In 2020, SATTAA was open to primary and secondary school pre- and in-service teachers alike.
The participant pool is further broadening as a by-product of transitioning the program from face-to-face to fully online. Among the feedback from 2020 participants was a strong indication that, if the program been offered face-to-face again, they could not have participated regardless of the pandemic that necessitated the change in format.
1.3. Broadening the Instructor Pool
In the initial iteration, all sessions were facilitated by local experts, with the sole exception of the field trip to the McDonald Observatory that included facilitation by education specialists on site. The following year, an education specialist at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) joined the instructional team. In 2020, the team expanded again to include another astrophysics expert at STScI.
1.4. Broadening the Types of Participation
Along with growing in reach each year, the program also is becoming more diverse in the ways in which participants can engage with astronomy education. In addition to the 2 week program, alumni are invited to join an ongoing community of practice (Wenger et al. 2002) that supports a sustained engagement with colleagues and with the SATTAA team. As of 2020, SATTAA alumni are also eligible to apply for astronomy education grants administered through the program.
2. Measuring Impact
Our approach to measuring the impact SATTAA has on the participating teachers' practice integrates quantitative data, such as pre-/posttest scores, with qualitative data, such as focus group interviews. Among the data we collect is demographic information 4 about the schools teachers work at; this helps to better understand who their students are. Our goal is to positively impact science learning in a way that will move the needle on the persistent underrepresentation of minorities in STEM fields.
Our data show promising trends (see Figure 1). The participating in-service teachers' school demographics are less white and at higher economic need than the city-wide average indicates. Specifically, while the city demographics (United States Census Bureau 2020) show that 24.8% of the population are white, the student population at participants' schools was considerably less though (15.3% in 2019; 11.4% in 2020). Similarly, the city-wide poverty rate is 18.6%, but the "economically disadvantaged" student demographics are considerably higher (55.9% in 2019; 62.9% in 2020).
Figure 1. SATTAA In-service teachers' school demographics (percent averages) compared to city-wide demographics.
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3. Next Steps
The 2021 iteration of SATTAA will be online again. Given that the feedback to the 2020 online program was overwhelmingly positive, we are confident that we are meeting the needs of participants. We anticipate that the online modality will also appeal to teachers in rural areas in the future. Further, because we are offering the program online, our instructor pool has broadened again and now also includes international team members.
The format also offers us an opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint associated with events that require travel (Burtscher et al. 2020). As part of a SATTAA face-to-face iteration, all participants commute daily between their homes, the university campus, and, on some days, to local field trip sites. Moreover, the roundtrip between San Antonio and the McDonald Observatory adds 800–850 miles of road travel. As the use of digital technologies still causes CO2 emissions, a rough estimate of the reduction in CO2 emissions in an online year is 91% (following the approach described by Burtscher et al. 2020, Box 1).
We thank NASA, the Space Telescope Science Institute, and NSF grant no. 1616828 for supporting this work financially. We also gratefully acknowledge the generous support of BEAT LLC 5 for providing the assistance to enable SATTAA grants starting 2020.