Development and validation of astronomy-centred cross-disciplinary teaching materials for fostering thinking development

Learning methods tend to vary according to the subject or theme at hand, but when it comes to subjects like mathematics or physics there are certain facts that cannot be challenged. There is a significant difference between simply memorising the facts and actually understanding them. Dr Masamitsu Ohyama, Shiga University, Japan, is passionate about the need for students and teachers to recognise the difference between memorising and understanding. According to a national survey on university students conducted by his team, many students do not understand the basic contents of physics taught in elementary and junior high schools and are weak in using logical thinking to utilise what they learned. His experience has shown that many students incorrectly believe that memorisation means understanding. Ohyama and his team are seeking to address the fact that there are people who cannot distinguish between memorisation and understanding. They are working on the development of teaching and education methods that foster scientific understanding and logical thinking. A key focus for Ohyama is astronomy and the spatial cognition that is required for scientific understanding of astronomy taught in elementary and junior high schools. Many students and schoolteachers are not good at thinking using spatial cognition and simply memorise astronomy without understanding its contents. The team is using cognitive psychology to determine the types of mistakes astronomy students make. This research involves identifying an educational method that is effective for people who are not especially good at astronomy. Ohyama and his team believe it is important to educate not only children and students but also teachers and university students at the same time to ensure that concepts can be correctly understood and taught. The researchers hope this work will positively impact science teaching and cognitive psychology.