A recent survey of more than 2,000 school students by the Science Museum showed that they loved astronomy and wanted to study more. This article gives background for the ideas and evidence section in scientific enquiry. It could act as a basis for further research into the geocentricheliocentric debate. For example who was Giordano Bruno? Students would be surprised to see the influence that magical ideas had then.
The Earth and beyond: the section on scaling up the universe links to KS3; the introduction to ideas on the origins of stars links to KS4. Lovely time line to get an idea of the history of the Universe since the Big Bang.
What it left in my mind, however, is not which bit of the national curriculum I could use this for, but how we should try to have a more renaissance approach where we don’t cut all the little sections up, but look at astronomy and see the possibility it offers for a study of “life, the Universe and everything”.
Francisco Diego suggests that it should inform our notions of citizenship. No, not that defined by the national curriculum orders, more the idea of Universal citizenship of awe and wonder at the World.
He opens up a world of exciting possibilities for young explorers of tomorrow, for it will be brilliant to show students that they can contribute to scientific understanding in the future.
