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Permission to Dream
International Astronomy Education
COMMUNITY PLANETARIUM INITIATIVE:BRAZIL CASE STUDY AND RECOMMENDATIONSEXECUTIVE SUMMARYOctober 24, 2003
Permission to Dream
12714 Matteson Ave.Suite 5Los Angeles, CA 90066USA(626) 833-5869
www.permissiontodream.orgdirector@permissiontodream.org
2QUICK FACTS: PERMISSION TO DREAMIdentity: International science education NGO that uses astronomy toinspire and motivate children around the world, and to connect themacross national boundaries.Founded: 2001 Number of Schools Involved: 33 Number of Countries Involved: 15Countries: Algeria, Australia, Brazil, Chile,China, Croatia, Iran, Israel, Nepal,Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka, SouthAfrica, United States, Zambia.Board of Advisors: Dr. Buzz AldrinDr. Alan HaleFrank BraunGeorge WhitesidesMajor Sponsors: Ahmanson FoundationMeade TelescopesStarry Night SoftwareKeller Family FoundationLufthansaWebsite: www.permissiontodream.orgPartners / Advisors: Arthur C. Clarke Institute for TelecommunicationsSpace Generation AdvisoryCouncilCosmos EducationSouthwest Institute for SpaceResearch.
This study would not have been possible without the strong support andguidance of the Cecierj Foundation, including its president, Dr. CarlosEduardo Bielchowsky and vice president, Dr. Paulo Cezar Arantes. We alsothank the wonderful members of the Grupo Imaginacao. Finally, we thank the Ahmanson Foundation of Los Angeles and Meade Corporation forproviding the support to enable this and other projects.
3COMMUNITY PLANETARIUM INITIATIVE:BRAZIL CASE STUDY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Introduction
The
Permission to Dream program
Permission to Dream is an international science education NGO that seeks to inspire andmotivate children through astronomy and space. It is a joint program of the SpaceFrontier Foundation and the National Space Society. Based in Los Angeles, PTD began by donating telescopes to developing or underprivileged communities. The focus of thisreport is a new initiative of PTD focused on community planetariums.To date, PTD has sent telescopes to 33 schools or groupsdistributed across 15 countries and 6 continents. Thesetelescope donations are augmented by other materials such asstar charts and astronomy software. PTD has also created asix-part curriculum that guides students through an explorationof the night sky. This curriculum includes teachers guides andassignments, and is appropriate for learners from late primaryschool to early university. It covers the moon, Mars, Jupiter,Saturn, Venus, and the International Space Station, as well as a preliminary introduction to using a telescope.The pedagogic philosophy that drives PTD is experientialeducation. We seek to give teachers tools to spark excitementin their students, which will motivate them in their in-classwork. Where appropriate, we also seek to augment existingspace-based curriculum. Finally, by connecting participatingschools through the internet, we seek to encourageinternational communication, to raise awareness of our common heritage in the night sky, and to spread the culture of peace through space education.
Community Planetarium Study
Background and Goals
In August 2003, PTD principals went on mission to Brazil to study community planetariums that had been constructed in the state of Rio de Janeiro. These planetariums, described in more detail below, were built for low cost, yet succeed inreaching a large number of local children.The planetariums are ideal space education centers for the developing world. Theycombine experiential education with a permanent base and staff, enabling ongoingeducation into the foreseeable future.
A student in Rio de Janeiroobserves through a telescopecourtesy of Permission toDream. February, 2003.
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