U.S. ASTRONOMY EDUCATION CLEARINGHOUSE
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(Hosted by the U.S. National Astronomy Education Coordination Team [US-NAEC]
for the IAU's Office of Astronomy for Education)
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is the largest organization of professional astronomers in the world. It has four major offices -- the Office for Young Astronomers (OYA), Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD), Office of Astronomy Outreach (OAO), and, most recently, the Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE). The OAE is headquartered in the spiral-galaxy shaped Haus der Astronomie in Heidelberg, Germany. The 80+ international NAEC teams report to the OAE.
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RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE NAEC TEAMS:
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Each NAEC team is meant to help the OAE document and analyze how astronomy is used in teaching in its country, identify existing relevant actions, organize professional development for teachers, and develop readily accessible and high-quality educational material tailored to the specific needs of the country, and for specific groups and school levels. Each NAEC team will be the interface between the OAE and the astronomy education community in its country, particularly creating a link from the IAU to teachers interested in astronomy and in using astronomy as a tool for teaching science in primary and secondary school.
https://www.iau.org/education/
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TASKS INCLUDE:
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Help the OAE document how astronomy education works in each country.
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Represent your country’s specific needs in astronomy education.
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Disseminate our common results within your country.
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Liaise with curriculum experts, and work with the local education community to modify curricula.
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Organise teacher training events, and develop educational material tailored to your country’s needs.
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Be the interface between the OAE and the local education community in your country.