Recommended Reading v.2

John Percy, Professor Emeritus, Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Teaching Academy member, has a recommendation for instructors leading Astronomy courses. Just in time for summer course design!

Learner-Centered Astronomy Teaching: Strategies for Astro 101
Timothy Slater and Jeffrey Adams

Slater and Adams are leaders in astronomy education research.  Prentice-Hall made this short paperback available at low cost.  In 167 pages, it contains everything that an instructor needs, from background research, to course design, lecturing for active participation, small-group collaborative learning, writing effective multiple-choice items (and alternatives thereto), course evaluations — even tips on creating a teaching portfolio.  It has many useful appendices, including sample questions and tasks and learning objectives, and the well-tested Astronomy Diagnostic Test.  A model for how to provide instructors with practical, research-supported material!

Slater, Timothy, and Adams, Jeffrey (2003), “Learner-Centered Astronomy
Teaching: Strategies for Astro 101”, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River NJ, pp. 167, paperback ($4.80 on eBay).