GCSE astronomy ?

[cosmic dave]

Has anyone done a gcse in asrtronomy ? Im thinking of doing it.

Im looking at these people http://www.starlearner.com/gcse-astronomy-distance-learning.aspx

any advice please.

David

[pete_l]

A hundred and forty quid!

[sologuitarist61]

A hundred and forty quid!

I must admit it is the price that is putting me off these courses as well. Ok it isn't a huge amount in the scheme of things, but if you opay that out and then find that you already know most of what they want to teach you, then it is a waste of money (after all £150 is 1 and 1/2 Baader Hyperions). I once did an OU astro course (don't ask which one it was years ago) and got nothing from it that I couldn't have got from a decent book and joining the local astro society.

[jonathan]

Why is it a GCSE though? That implies that it would normally be studied along side GCSE Maths, English, and Science, with snotty little teenagers. Not for me, thanks. If I was going to do any kind of astronomy course I think I would want to see all course materials or at least mock final exam to see if I already knew everything it was going to teach me, as sologuitarist said. A friend once told me some advice on buying computer books - just look at the index or the chapter summary tests to see what exactly it is going to teach me, no point in buying a book that doesn't teach me what I want to know.

[sologuitarist61]

Why is it a GCSE though? That implies that it would normally be studied along side GCSE Maths, English, and Science, with snotty little teenagers. Not for me, thanks. If I was going to do any kind of astronomy course I think I would want to see all course materials or at least mock final exam to see if I already knew everything it was going to teach me, as sologuitarist said. A friend once told me some advice on buying computer books - just look at the index or the chapter summary tests to see what exactly it is going to teach me, no point in buying a book that doesn't teach me what I want to know.

Yes I couldn't agree more!!

[Woking]

Does a GCSE in a non academic field bring any value though? Unless of course it's a stepping stone into gaining hidher ed certification to become a professional astronomer.

The info is already out there on the web, in books, magazines, and Astro group lectures....so what extra info is on the syllabus?

My point being is that I was learning Japanese a few years ago and started off on intermediate classes which focused on 'practical' Japanese with material aimed at ex-pats living and working in Japan. Really useful stuff to help you get by when in Japan, like travel, shops, hotels, and most importantly bars and restuarants Once completed the only next step offered by colleges was GCSE, which was a complete waste of time as it was all focused on passing an exam (and gaining a certifcate which means nothing). From learning practical Japanese it went to using old fashioned non-relevant education text books. I quit when we spent a whole class on 'The day in the life of a cat' story for translation and grammar rules, how on earth does that help me sort out catching the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto?

So my advice would be to check what's on the syllabus and if it's stuff that's already out there decide what value does it really bring to you

[sologuitarist61]

My point being is that I was learning Japanese a few years ago and started off on intermediate classes which focused on 'practical' Japanese with material aimed at ex-pats living and working in Japan. Really useful stuff to help you get by when in Japan, like travel, shops, hotels, and most importantly bars and restuarants Once completed the only next step offered by colleges was GCSE, which was a complete waste of time as it was all focused on passing an exam (and gaining a certifcate which means nothing). From learning practical Japanese it went to using old fashioned non-relevant education text books. I quit when we spent a whole class on 'The day in the life of a cat' story for translation and grammar rules, how on earth does that help me sort out catching the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto?

I think you hit the nail on the head but not just with GCSE, the focus is on a syllabus that they can teach and that will enable the student to pass without too much effort involved by either the teacher or the pupil, and so you come out of the process not a lot wiser than when you went into it.

If you want to learn about astronomy then join a club and read whatever relevant books you can get your hands on. The advantage to this method is that you learn what you are interested in, not what someone else thinks you should learn. If you want to learn something then you will; if you are forced to accept things that don't interest you much, then the interest dies. The disadvantage being that you end up with no letters after your name.

An example of this is that I used to work with a Maths graduate and one day I walked into the office and they were discussing the cost of something that that wished to do as a group. They knew how much it would cost and they knew how many wanted to go, so they turned to the Maths graduate and asked him 'how much each is that?'. And he picked up a pencil and paper and started writing it all down. I could not believe what I was seeing and gave them the answer from simple mental maths and they all looked at me strangely. The maths graduate after a few minutes told me I was wrong and showed me his workings. After a few minutes of explanation I showed him where his mistake lay and he had another go and finally agreed with me.

Now I am not clever, but being interested in things that required a knowledge of simple maths I was able to out do a Maths graduate.

Something is wrong about the way we teach.

[Dave Dubya]

And I've seen courses for this charge way more than £140.

It's quite easy to look on Edexcel site for GCSE Astronomy spec, as well as some sample exam papers. The cost to register a student for the GCSE Astronomy, and have them sit the exam, used to be ~£60, if I remember correctly.

So if you look at the spec, and think you might be able to get the qualification without external help via a course, you can apply to do it yourself.

[SeedyF]

1) Its distance learning. Unless you invite them to your house there wont be any snotty nosed kids.

2) As someone points out you can see the whole sylabus on the exam boards website. And you can download previous papers.

3) Sadly adult education isnt free. The cost of this course is on a par with others. But dont forget the exam will cost extra.

If anyone is genuinely interested in the starlearner offering I can fill you in as I did the GCSE through them. I'm not going to enter a debate about how we teach or the value of GCSE education

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2

[carastro]

Well I did the GCSE Astronomy course in 2005 at Greenwich which was £120 then and I found it an excellent course, it went into most areas of Astronomy and I learnt heaps.

It was great to do it in a classroom with enthusiastic peers and this was an evening class and only one student of school age doing it with his father. All the rest were older people who had an interest in the subject. I doubt I would have picked up the knowledge and understanding I now have, without it.

Carole

[RoloFanatic]

I have recently completed a GCSE astronomy course and would thoroughly recommend it

It has really helped me to understand what i am looking at through my telescope and has increased my interest and enthusiasm for astronomy ten fold.

A word of warning though; if you do choose to take the course, it is not easy. There are some very hard concepts to get your head round (e.g Equation of Time (I am still not sure if i fully understand this ))

Hope you enjoy the course as much as i did if you choose to do it, good luck!

[Etoille]

We did ours for the learning experience rather than academic stepping stone and we paid by installments. We also learned an awfull lot as well as refreshed some of our Math sklills! This is probably not the cheapest option but it does allow you to spread the cost by paying in installments and stop after one or two lessons if its now to your liking. We completed the course, which is via distance learning, using this provider:

http://www.theplanet...d_enrolment.htm

One point to note is the exams. We decided to sit them and found at the time that we had to take them at a local school/colledge which required us to first find a school/colledge locally that was willing to invigilate the exam. If you do find one that is willing to do this for an external candidate, there will be a charge for this service and the fees will vary depending on the institution. After some ringing around we did find one that was reasonable and both of us passed our exams. That was 3-4 years ago now and this may have changed, but if you do wish to sit the exams at the end of the course it may be worth checking with the provider you choose what the process is and costs involved.

[RADAS]

The following is on a personal note and should not be taken as an official R&DAS comment.

I'm a bit lat posting a reply to this, and I'm about to post on the original R&DAS GCSE thread if I can find it as we are taking bookings for the 2013/4 year.

I'm doing the GCSE [today i finished the project 1 write up] and it's aimed at 14-16 year olds and covers the basics without much of the more advanced stuff. If you know Kepler's Laws and above then you may not get anything out of the course. On the Edexel website there are previous exams, I did one in 25 mins and got an A* mark.

So why am I doing the course? It is still a challenge to complete as there are two projects to do and as I am involved in 'outreach' for the Soc it's always a good idea to see different ways of putting concepts across. 11 out of 12 that signed up for the course are adults, three of us with a good knowledge of astronomy, and we can help the others.

As for the price, I paid £120 with my R&DAS member's discount [full price was £140, but with 1 years R&DAS membership included], for this you get the exam registration, all materials and pay the tutor-and as she is our Chair she is doing it for nearly cost.

It's also the only Astronomy course short of a degree that has a recognised qualification. The one day £30 courses are all well adn good, but with the GCSE you get a year for less than the price of five one day courses and it covers a wide range of subjects.

If you would like details on the course drop me a line on email not PM

Again, to emphasise this is my personal opinion and I do not gain financially from anyone signing up for the course.