2025-11-21 Summary

Planetarians' Zoom Workshop:
A Framework for Examining Planetarium Programs
(Planetarium Educators Workshop, Module 2)

Workshop Participants:
Alan Gould (Facilitator), Berkeley California
Mary Holt, Berkeley California
Marco Ávalos - Planetario Aventura, Costa Rica
Omega Smith, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Museum of the North, Babula Planetarium
Justin Stevick - College of San Mateo, San Mateo, CA
Adam Thanz - Erwin, TN - Retired Planetarium Director of Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium
Karl von Ahnen, Santa Cruz Mountains
Rosemary Walling, Marie Drake Planetarium, Juneau, AK
Guilherme Frederico Marranghello, Planetário da Unipampa, Bagé, Brazil
Jon Elvert, Richmond Virginia

A word from Alan Gould: I tried a few zoom workshop techniques that were somewhat new to me: 

1. I posed 3 questions and for each, invited participants to give answers in the chat, allowing about 3 minutes of quiet time for them to think up and compose their responses. Worked quite well. If you have yet to watch the recording, you can fast forward through these times. In the original NSF-funded workshops of the 1970s and 80s, participants used pen or pencil and paper. But then, they were all in the same room, not from locations around the country and around the globe.

2. I copied their responses from the chat and pasted them into a slide-page designated for displaying all the responses. One defect with this process was that in pasting the chat items into a slide, the font size (<8) and color (black against blue background) were such that the text was not readable in computer monitors. Though the participants could easily read their entries in the chat, they noticed the copy-paste problem and I promised everyone I would fix that before posting the slides. That has been accomplished in the posted google Slide Set.
   Suggestion for  future workshops: One possible improvement in zoom workshops that employ this technique might be to have a Co-Host, or more precisely a Co-Author for editing the google slides right during the workshop.

3. After the quiet-response-writing time, I drew attention to each chat response and invited the responder to unmute and elaborate their written response. I had not planned on doing this...it just was a spur of the moment thing to do that seemed appropriate to the occasion. This worked well in real time but  in the archive recording, the size of the Speaker window was way too small and the Share window huge. Even so, participant responses were nearly illegible, still dominating visually those sections of the recording. This was evident in both the recording "To Computer" and the recording "To the Cloud".
   Suggestion for future workshops and seminars:
   Since the view parameters in the Cloud Recording can't be adjusted, in the future, I'd recommend that a Co-Host be designated to make a "To Computer" recording and adjust viewing parameters optimally as needed for each section of the workshop or seminar. Specifically, the View (Speaker, Gallery, or Multi-speaker) and ratio of Share window size to Speaker size can be altered mid-stream to emphasize the Share window or the Speaker as desired for best result in any given scene. This is not a difficult task and can be quite interesting and creative in that the Co-Host must play the role of an on-the-fly editor, with a slight bit of concomitant pressure that the on-the-fly editing is being live recorded.

Below is an AI-generated summary that has been heavily edited by workshop facilitator Alan Gould.

Key takeaways

The workshop focused on Module 2 of the Planetarium Educators Workshop Guide, examining three key aspects of audience participation programs: audience, subject, and instructor/presenter.

Participants discussed important considerations when planning audience participation planetarium programs, including understanding the audience, selecting engaging topics, and employing effective audience-involvement techniques.

Various techniques were shared, including kinesthetic activities, turn-and-talk discussions, physical manipulatives, and creating welcoming environments.

Participants emphasized the importance of avoiding misconceptions, using appropriate vocabulary, and incorporating audience participation.

Brainstorm topics 

[You may find the actual written responses by participants in the workshop google Slide Set.]

Understanding Your Audience

Question 1: What are the most important things you should know about your students (or audience) when planning a program for them?

• • Demographics and Background

    • Ken: Age and cognitive ability level are important to determine appropriate content

    • Marco: Whether schools are private or public makes a difference in Costa Rica as it affects students' prior knowledge

    • Mary: Where they're from (town, city) can be relevant

    • Justin: Educational background and reason for visiting

  • Prior Knowledge

    • Rosemary: Prior knowledge helps tailor content appropriately

    • Karl: Existing knowledge of topic helps avoid boring the audience

    • Adam: For school programs, grade level and desired subject to cover are important

  • Special Needs and Accommodations

    • Adam: Important to know if there are accommodations needed for deaf, blind, or low vision visitors

    • Adam: Shared an example of using red lights to illuminate sign language interpreters without affecting the dome projection

    • Ken: Uses white gloves for signers to help visibility and provides tactile materials for visually impaired visitors

    • Jon: Positions students needing signers in the back rows to minimize distraction

  • Engagement Level

    • Rosemary: Understanding if they will interact, and if not, what can be done to help

    • Omega: Where they are in their understanding and how much they want to learn

Selecting Program Topics

Question 2: If you had to select only three topics to present in this year's schedule of planetarium programs, what would they be and why are they important, for what type of audience?

Note: slide 12 of the workshop google Slide Set has a complete listing of the Topics and Titles that were in the discussion during the August Planetarians' Zoom Seminar (Cosmic Creations! Choices & Challenges in Crafting a Planetarium Show) with Bob Bonadurer and Terry Spears.

• Night Sky/Constellations

  • • Ken: Night sky is part of all shows at all levels

    • Karl: Constellations are something people can see and relate to in the real sky

    • Mary: A night sky show would be one of three core offerings

• Solar System

  • • Mary: Solar system show is a fundamental offering

    • Guilherme: Solar system is the most requested by schools, especially for ages 10-14

    • Marco: The Solar System is one of the most successful topics

• Current Astronomy News/Discoveries

  • • Ken: Newsworthy topics like Sapphire Valley for upper elementary and above

    • Adam: Recent discoveries or new understandings for general public

    • Justin: Hot topics (whatever is newsworthy)

• Earth and Environment

  • • Guilherme: Earth movement (day/night, seasons) for everybody

    • Marco: Environment is an important general topic

    • Karl: Subjects that give a sense of distances to provide perspective on the "big picture"

• Non-Space Related Topics

  • • Mary: Something non-space related like oceans, animals, or dinosaurs

    • Jon: Interdisciplinary show like Art & Astronomy

• Life and Exoplanets

  • • Guilherme: Life as a topic for general audiences, including exoplanets and space stations

    • Multiple participants: Exoplanets were mentioned in the August seminar list

Effective Instructional Techniques

Question 3: What are three of the most effective instructional techniques you have used? How do they help students learn?

• Physical Engagement

  • • Ken: Kinesthetics to break down complex concepts

    • Mary: Using objects people can physically interact with (star maps, diffraction gratings)

    • Justin: Audience participation and giving time to react and enjoy

• Discussion Techniques

  • • Mary: Turn and Talk (think-pair-share) works in any style of dome

    • Jon: Small group discussion

    • Karl: Interact a lot with the audience at the beginning, ask questions

• Creating the Right Environment

  • • Ken: Project welcome and warmth to your audience

    • Marco: Type of music, even during a live talk

    • Guilherme: Walking around in a small dome to interact with each child and wearing costumes

• Communication Strategies

  • • Adam: Being careful not to provide or add to misconceptions

    • Mary: Being careful with use of metaphor, especially for neurodiverse audiences

    • Justin: Using humor to make presentations lighthearted

    • Jon: Using analogies and visualizations

• Engagement Techniques

  • • Ken: Using "unique questioners" - having kids write questions ahead of time and limiting each person to one turn

    • Justin: Using pop culture references (though noting this can be challenging to keep current)

    • Marco: Choosing appropriate voices for pre-recorded programs

Action items

• Alan

  • • Fix up the slides with consistent font and colors to make them readable

    • Make the slides available along with the recording

    • Continue with more modules of the workshop in 2026

• Rosemary

  • • Host next month's seminar by Mary Holt on "People Management for the Planetarium" on December 12th

• All Participants

  • • Consider being seminar leaders for future sessions

    • Check out the Planetarium Educators Workshop Guide on the IPS website (https://www.ips-planetarium.org/page/pass#1)

Here is a different AI summary, this one raw, unedited, and less comprehensive.

Meeting summary (AI-generated) 

Quick recap

The meeting began with technical discussions about recording adjustments and introductions, including a conversation about a planetarium in Fairbanks, Alaska. Alan led a workshop on audience participation in planetarium programs, exploring various educational approaches and terminology while discussing strategies for teaching astronomy to different audiences. The group concluded by addressing accommodations for students with disabilities, engaging younger audiences, and effective planetarium show techniques, with an invitation for participants to lead future seminar sessions.

Summary

Meeting Recording Technical Setup

Alan and Rosemary discussed technical adjustments for an upcoming meeting recording. Alan explained he typically adjusts the view between multi-speaker, gallery, and speaker views, and can modify the size of shared slides using a slider control. They agreed to start the computer recording and then initiate the cloud recording command, with Rosemary confirming she would enable the AI Companion feature. Rosemary also planned to post reminders on Domel and PPA platforms, noting that Todd Ulrie would help moderate the Domel posting.

Planetarium Leadership Transition Update

Adam discussed his retirement and his continued involvement with the planetarium, noting that Jason has taken over his former position with some modifications. He mentioned that Jason now oversees two rangers, but there may be some challenges with having two bosses. Adam also shared that he is now part of the Astronomy Club and has been involved in outreach activities. The group briefly discussed an issue with the IPS website regarding an incorrect image for a recent journal issue, which Adam had already brought to the attention of Shiloh, the editor of The Planetarian.

Planetarium People Management Seminar Preparation

The meeting began with introductions and a discussion about a planetarium in Fairbanks, Alaska, which is currently under construction. Alan and Karl shared memories of a previous PPA conference in Fairbanks. The group then discussed the Northern Lights, with Omega mentioning recent aurora activity. Rosemary introduced the purpose of the meeting, which was to prepare for an upcoming seminar on "People Management for the Planetarium" with Mary Holt scheduled to present on December 12th. Alan was introduced as the facilitator, and participants were asked to sign up in the chat.

Planetarium Audience Participation Workshop

Alan led a workshop on audience participation in planetarium programs, building on a previous session held in July. He introduced the concept of a teacher-learner game from the 1980s, which demonstrated the challenges of teaching without visual or verbal cues. The workshop will focus on three aspects of live interactive planetarium programs: subject, audience, and instructor. Alan invited participants to suggest alternative names for these components, encouraging their input and engagement in the discussion.

Educational Terminology and Audience Engagement

The group discussed terminology related to educational settings, including learners, participants, guests, visitors, presenters, instructors, facilitators, operators, entertainers, and educators. Alan led a discussion on alternative terms for the subject or topic, introducing "focus" and "theme." The conversation shifted to the use of storytelling in audience participation activities, with Alan mentioning an email exchange with Katun Yoo at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science about framing activities as stories. Alan concluded by outlining the structure of an upcoming workshop, which would involve exploring what participants would want to know about their audiences and why that information is important.

Astronomy Education for Diverse Audiences

The group discussed strategies for teaching astronomy to different audiences, focusing on factors like age, educational background, and whether schools are public or private. Marco highlighted significant differences between Costa Rican public and private schools, noting that public schools often lack adequate astronomy education, while private schools and higher institutions have more advanced knowledge. The discussion emphasized the importance of using appropriate vocabulary and simplifying content to accommodate various levels of understanding, with Carl and Mary suggesting a simpler approach to reach a broader audience. Alan shared a personal experience about a teaching mishap involving galaxy terminology, underscoring the need for clear communication.

Planetarium Accessibility Solutions

The group discussed accommodations for students with disabilities in planetarium settings, focusing on solutions for deaf, blind, and low-vision students. Adam shared a successful example of modifying a floor lamp with red light bulbs and black shields to allow students to see sign language interpreters without disturbing the theater environment. Ken added that white gloves can help students see sign language better, while Jon suggested positioning students needing interpreters in the back of the theater to minimize disruption. Omega briefly mentioned the importance of understanding students' current knowledge level and catering to their curiosity when designing educational content.

Engaging Younger Audiences in Astronomy

The group discussed strategies for engaging younger audiences in astronomy presentations, with Justin noting a need to update his pop culture references to better connect with students. Mary shared insights from GLIPSA about being careful with metaphors, particularly for neurodiverse audiences, and provided an example about explaining why Pluto isn't a planet. Alan mentioned he was experimenting with adding new content to his slide sets, though acknowledged he was still learning how to incorporate these changes effectively. The discussion concluded with a brief mention of a previous seminar by Bob Bonadour about creating planetarium shows.

Planetarium Show Techniques Workshop

The group discussed effective planetarium show techniques and content selection. They explored various instructional methods including kinesthetics, audience participation, and the use of physical objects for interactive learning. The participants shared their approaches to choosing topics for planetarium shows, with a focus on incorporating current discoveries and interdisciplinary content. They also discussed the importance of clear communication and avoiding misconceptions when presenting information about the sky and space. The workshop concluded with an invitation for participants to consider leading future seminar sessions.