Global Hands-On Universe (GHOU) is an educational program that enables students to investigate the

Universe The universe is all of space and time and their contents. It comprises all of existence, any fundamental interaction, physical process and physical constant, and therefore all forms of matter and energy, and the structures they form, from s ...

while applying tools and concepts from science, math, and technology. Using the Internet, GHOU participants request observations from an automated telescope, download images from an image archive, and analyze them with the help of image processing software.

History

The Galileo Teacher Training Program (GTTP) was started by the

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; , UAI) is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach, education, and developmen ...

(IAU) in 2009. One important part of GTTP is the Global Hands-On Universe (GHOU). Different regions of the world participate in this program. In Asia, China and Japan are involved under the banner of AS-HOU. In Africa, Kenya leads the AF-HOU part of the program, and they have even begun a new project at a high school in Nairobi. This project is focused on astronomy and astrophysics and it aims to teach students how scientific research works. In Europe, Dr. Ferlet and Dr. A.-L. Melchior lead the Hands-On Universe project. Their work is known as EU-HOU and has received funding from the

European Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...

(EC) between 2004 and 2006 and again from 2008 to 2012. EU-HOU has grown to include 15 European countries, each with their own websites. The educational hub for EU-HOU is based in Paris at the

Pierre and Marie Curie University Pierre and Marie Curie University ( , UPMC), also known as Paris VI, was a public research university in Paris, France, from 1971 to 2017. The university was located on the Jussieu Campus in the Latin Quarter of the 5th arrondissement of Paris, ...

. EU-HOU has made a lot of free learning resources available on their website, such as the SalsaJ software that allows high school students to work with and analyze astronomical data. Also, there's a network of small radio telescopes that students can use to observe the Milky Way's hydrogen. These telescopes are spread across five European countries (France, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain) and can be operated through a web interface available in 17 languages. The project provides teaching resources that have been tested and used in teacher training, high school, and undergraduate levels. In North America, the US-HOU project is underway, led by the United States with financial support from the

National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...

Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

, and the Department of Energy. In the US, HOU has developed a unique educational program where high school students can ask for their own observations from professional observatories. They can download these observations onto their school computers to study and analyze them. The curriculum created by HOU covers various science and math topics and encourages students to carry out their own astronomical research. HOU has also developed activities for middle school students and resources for places like science museums. The educational center for the US HOU project is the Lawrence Hall of Science at

The University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkeley ...

Teacher training sessions

In the context of the European Commission

Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 The Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013 (previously referred to as the "Integrated action programme in the field of lifelong learning" or the "Integrated programme") was the European Union programme for education and training. Introduction ...

, EU-HOU proposes regular European training sessions in France, at

Pierre-and-Marie-Curie University Pierre and Marie Curie University ( , UPMC), also known as Paris VI, was a public research university in Paris, France, from 1971 to 2017. The university was located on the Jussieu Campus in the Latin Quarter of the 5th arrondissement of Paris, ...

in Paris, since 2010. These sessions are published on the Comenius training database (reference numbers: FR-2010-314-003, FR-2011-359-006, FR-2013-408-003). The main goal of these training sessions is to generate interest in science in the young generation with inquiry-based methods. Active methods based e.g. on kinesthesia (

Proprioception Proprioception ( ) is the sense of self-movement, force, and body position. Proprioception is mediated by proprioceptors, a type of sensory receptor, located within muscles, tendons, and joints. Most animals possess multiple subtypes of propri ...

) have been recently introduced to introduce modeling concepts. The training is intended to enhance the basic competencies of teachers and develop higher-level skills and expertise, primarily in

Information and communication technologies in education Educational technology (commonly abbreviated as edutech, or edtech) is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning and teaching. When referred to with its abbreviation, "EdTech", ...

(ICT), maths and physics areas. These sessions are financed through European Commission Comenius national Agencies (

Comenius programme The Comenius programme is a European Union educational project. It concerns school-level education, and is part of the EU's Erasmus Plus, Erasmus + 2014-2020 Programme. It aims "to help young people and educational staff better understand the ran ...

). Information related to scheduled training sessions is posted on the EU-HOU website and its news. A dedicated forum in English has been opened to favour feedback from trained teachers and interaction with a wider educator and researcher community.

References

External links

Official site of Global Hands-On Universe GHOU

Official site of European Hands-On Universe EU-HOU

Official site of US Hands-On Universe US HOU

Official site of Asian Hands-On Universe AS-HOU

Official site of Spanish Hands-On Universe HOU-Spain

Official site for Teachers training sessions registering
{{Portal bar, Mathematics, Astronomy, Stars, Education, Science Science education Amateur astronomy organizations

History

Teacher training sessions

See also

References

External links