Subsections

• Using the Starbus
• Problems Encountered
• Summary

The ``Starbus" project

The ``Starbus" is in fact a colourfully decorated mini-bus equipped with a great deal of equipment, both high-tech and the developed low-tech resource materials of the SEI. This combination enables SAAO staff to take the successful SEI workshops to more remote areas. During such workshops students, teachers and members of the local community are exposed to wide variety of materials and equipment, ranging from shadow sticks to computer-driven telescopes. It was in fact a collaborative effort between Department, the Foundation and the SAAO, since the SAAO bought the vehicle, developed the resources and supplied the staff to run it with the equipment being funded by all three organizations. The success of the ``Starbus" during YEAST was such that it now forms an integral part of the SEI.

Using the Starbus

Generally schools that the ``Starbus" visits are ex-Department of Education and Training (DET) high schools in rural or peri-urban areas. These schools were run by the previous government for blacks only and now form the core of what are commonly referred to as ``disadvantaged" schools. When visiting rural ex-DET schools the ``Starbus" would be on the road for about 4 days and in that time visit between 6 and 8 such schools. In between these trips, there are frequent excursions to local ex-DET schools and often there are additional trips to other local groups such as school ecological societies, science clubs, Scouts and Girl Guides, etc.

Planning a trip takes time and, whilst not difficult, can be frustrating in that communicating with schools can be difficult. Often there is only one telephone, but the process followed now is:

• contact is established with the Head of Science or the Principal of the school,
• the aim of the visit is explained,
• the class or classes to be used are identified,
• the programme is discussed. Here teachers select from a number of different workshop modules, decide which ones they want, and then the SAAO staff put together a ``package" lasting about 2 hours,
• finally the time, date and facilities available are established,
• this discussion is then confirmed by fax, where possible,
• the visit is confirmed a day or two before departure of the ``Starbus".

Most workshops are held with groups of 40 students. Teachers select which classes or individual students can attend - usually these are Science and/or Geography students in Grade 6 - 10. The ``Starbus" is then prepared with the appropriate resources and materials for that particular visit. Usually several extra items are included so that the programme can be made as flexible as possible.

While the workshops are suitable for groups of 40 students, their impact is maximised by doing additional activities for larger groups in the playground during tea and lunch breaks. This includes launching water rockets and setting up the 114-mm and 200-mm telescopes to show solar images and sunspots. During inclement weather, such activities are replaced with slide shows or illustrated talks using OHP viewgraphs. The latter are easier to use since often there are no facilities to darken rooms during the day.

Experience with the ``Starbus" has shown that schools are, without exception, keen to be visited, once the objectives of the programme have been explained to staff - despite the fact that visits cause a certain amount of disruption.

Marketing skills have been refined - most teachers are intimidated by the word ``astronomy," on the other hand the phrase ``we're running science and technology workshops" holds a lot of appeal!(Heese 1998)

The ``Starbus" is also used to take equipment to Science Festivals and other major science events. The SASOL SciFest (SASOL is the registered trade name of the sponsoring company) has over the last three years become South Africa's major science festival, attracting over 40 000 people. The SAAO has been a major contributor to SciFest by running many of the SEI workshops, which have always been oversubscribed. Portable display boards, posters and models of major telescopes are also transported and displayed to promote awareness of astronomy and the SAAO.

Problems Encountered

The ``Starbus" project has only been operational for about 18 months and those involved with the project are all on a steep learning curve. Many of the problems that have been encountered were not anticipated and this often led to makeshift changes to plans. Some of these problems were:

• Teachers are overworked and very seldom able to attend the workshops, leaving SAAO staff in control of the group. Besides the discipline problems encountered, the absence of teachers means that the work covered during the workshop is seldom reinforced by teachers at school and visits are seen as isolated activities not related to school/classwork.
• Schools often lack the most simple resources (electricity, spare classrooms, etc) to accommodate some of the workshops.
• The lack of security, especially in the urban and peri-urban areas makes it difficult to visit schools, clubs or societies at night and so students lose that concept of ``looking up" and the opportunity to learn about the night sky.
• Most teachers see astronomy as a highly specialised field and lack the confidence to encourage an interest in astronomy amongst students or to set relevant assignments. They are reluctant to participate in workshops and run follow-up activities. The ``Starbus" visit is often seen as a visit by ``experts" dealing with a topic outside of and beyond the curriculum.

It is impossible to anticipate what to expect on arriving at a school. This means that a quick assessment needs to be undertaken and the appropriate adjustments made. The programme thus needs to be extremely flexible and able to adapt to local conditions quickly.

Students' knowledge of astronomy is extremely limited and dependent on their immediate environment. In trying to make sense of what they see and know, students usually contrive complicated theories that have to be corrected before they can begin to understand basic astronomy. The video ``A Private Universe" (Project STAR 1989) clearly illustrates this point. Students might often have a fairly good understanding of the physics yet struggle to apply this in any way to what they know or see. Their misconceptions are often complex and deep rooted (Enderstein and Spargo 1998).

Many schools visited have rigid, conservative approaches to education and questioning is not encouraged. Staff running the ``Starbus" are encouraged to take a more relaxed approach. Once the ice is broken and students see that they aren't being tested in any way, their questions are uncontrived and wide ranging. In a typical session questions dealing with the whereabouts of heaven to the salaries of astronomers could be encountered!

Another general problem that has been experienced is that students have little concept of the large numbers involving size, distances or time relating to astronomy. For example, many believe, that the Earth (and the Universe) began 2 000 years ago, (it is after all the beginning of the third millennium!), that stars are fairly accessible and that the Sun is smaller than the Moon. On other occasions trying to convince participants in an adult education programme that the Earth was not flat proved difficult. These again are reasons for keeping workshops as flexible and open-ended as possible with additional resources readily available. Students often contribute to the direction they take.

Summary

It is difficult to assess the impact of these visits other than by the response of the students and teachers. All schools, without exception, have asked for return visits. One of the greatest strengths of the ``Starbus" is that it is equipped to meet local requirements; schools only have to provide students, a classroom and the time. Anyone who has experienced the logistics of taking children on outings will appreciate the benefits of such a mobile facility. (Heese 1998)

A great strength of the SEI and the ``Starbus" programme is that it gives students the space and opportunity to ask questions, wonder why and explore possibilities. In a school system which has tended to overemphasize factual knowledge and content, astronomy encourages a different approach to science and technology.

Visiting schools with the ``Starbus" has been shown to be an effective way of overcoming many of the problems in reaching students in the rural areas. The workshops not only teach students about the science and technology behind astronomy, but also encourages them to observe the world around them and so develop a curiosity about their environment in general and science in particular. In addition it gives them some of the knowledge and skills required to understand their place in the Universe.

I have extremely powerful memories of excited children looking at the moon in the clear Karoo sky through the 200-mm telescope, being able to name stars for the first time, and identify the constellations. Such experiences leave one with little doubt about the value of the project. (Heese 1998)

© Copyright Astronomical Society of Australia 1997