Page 28 - Journal 2018A

Space-based Learning
Thoughts from the ASMS
Article: Australian Science and Mathematics School Photographs: Tony Virgo, Hamilton College
Much importance is placed on the need to prepare students for future growth industries. As 2017 demonstrated, the
Australian Space industry has not only future growth potential in South Australia but retains its captivating, alluring nature. As such it is an excellent context for engaging learning. Here we present three recent ways in which ASMS staff and students have engaged with space, both directly and indirectly.
Students were asked to choose one such planet as a home world. The diversity of the conditions on these different planets led to a differentiated approach to exploring aspects of planetary science and its implications
for the presence and sustenance of life. The motivations behind space exploration,
including the legal aspects of claiming sovereignty and colonisation, and some of the historical fascination with space exploration and con icts of civilisation in literature create the need to know about the distances and scales involved, linking with astronomy and the origins of the universe.
Space provides an interesting context to explore motion and Newton’s laws; looking
at gravitation of different planets, the motions of stars, and how to use trigonometry to work through astrometric calculations. We were also able to use the space context to connect some of the Stage 1 mathematics concepts around rates of change and calculus to help deepen understanding of motion concepts. We nished our module looking at optimisation of a Mission to Mars, bringing together a range of different constraints and scenarios across the sciences – biology and psychology as well as physics.
2. IAC 2017
The presence in Adelaide of the 2017 International Astronautical Congress generated much excitement. Events around the week were big news and drew in students from across the board. The opportunities to meet astronauts and people working in space agencies at the education events and the conference itself gave us a challenge – what will have the most impact, now and ongoing?
Students were offered the chance to volunteer to help at the conference. We had a great response to the call, with fteen students accepted into the volunteer program. The expressions of interest got students thinking
Dog Rock, Granite Island
1. Space in an Interdisciplinary Curriculum
The ASMS has a long history of running interdisciplinary units with space themes
as part of our curriculum, giving students
the chance to engage with a range of different facets of the science, humanity
and mathematics associated with space exploration. A good example is the 2016 implementation of a semester long unit called Earth and Cosmos, which explored the key questions: How did we get here; What’s out there; and How do we get there?
Using the broader picture of space and focussing on the big questions gives an exciting context to the study of space science within the Australian Curriculum. The explosion in exoplanet discovery (currently more than 2300 by the Kepler spacecraft alone, including 30 around Earth size in habitable zones) has been of great interest.
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