Bruce Johnson, Ph.D
Teaching & Teacher Education
The University of Arizona
College of Education
P.O. Box 210069
Tucson, Arizona 85721-0069
Graduate Office Phone: 520-621-6993 Dept Phone 520-621-7820
E-mail us: ttegrad@email.arizona.edu
Spotlight on TTE Students
Spotlight on Mohammad Naser
Mohammad Naser, the social justice education coordinator for Residence Life, will help 
bring specific and tailored diversity-oriented programming to UA student housing. Students living in residence halls at The University of Arizona will get a more pointed education on social justice issues beginning this year. Mohammad is a fourth year international doctoral student in TTE.
Residence Life has initiated a number of efforts to teach students living in campus housing about diversity and social justice issues. Mohammad Naser said he is helping Residence Life to redefine its focus on social justice education and tailor it to the communities it serves.
“Each building is different because of the size and who lives there,” said Naser, a doctoral degree candidate in the UA’s teaching and teacher education program. “I’m hoping we can factor those differences into the programs.” Naser has spent much of his time since the beginning of the academic year training hundreds of Residence Life staff members on issues related to diversity and also helped coordinate the UA’s Students of Color Welcome event held earlier in the semester.
“The education of our residents will go beyond providing them with a basic service,” said Naser, who earned a two-year Fulbright Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State in 2004. “We’re talking about the learning process with an emphasis on the basic definition of diversity and social justice.”
One of Naser’s tasks is to form a peer advisory group called Advocates Coming Together, or ACT, that will be responsible for instituting new programs in the residence halls and on campus.
Spotlight on Erik Brogt
I am currently a fourth year international graduate student in TTE. I obtained a master’s degree in astronomy as well as a national teaching certifcate in physics from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. My research focuses on under- standing the teaching and learning of astronomy in tertiary education. My main interests are in theoretical work in the areas of knowledge structures, beliefs, and motivations of instructors and students, and pedagogical content knowledge in astronomy.
I gave two talks this year in Europe:
May: Dutch Astronomers’ Conference, Veldhoven, The Netherlands. Talk. Communicating Astronomy: Pitfalls and Booby Traps
I discussed knowledge organization in novices and experts, and introduced the concept of stereotype threat to the audience of professional astronomers.
July: Tage der Schulastronomie, Jena, Germany. Invited Talk. Research on Learner-Centered Astronomy Teaching in the USA
I provided an overview of research in astronomy education, with an emphasis on research on misconceptions, diagnostic tools for misconceptions and curriculum that promotes deeper conceptual understanding of astronomy. At the request of one of the participants, I wrote an article introducing the field of astronomy education research, that is currently in the German (non peer-reviewed) journal Astronomie + Raumfahrt im Unterricht. The manuscript is called “Bildungsforschung in der Astronomie in den USA”.
In 2007 I had 4 publications:
Brogt, E. (2007). A Theoretical Background on a Successful Implementation of Lecture-Tutorials. Astronomy Education Review, 6(1).
Discusses the properties of an implementation of in-class curricular activities from an expectancy-value perspective.
Brogt, E., Dokter, E., & Antonellis, J. (2007). Regulations and Ethical Considerations for Astronomy Education Research. Astronomy Education Review, 6(1).
Discusses the role of the institutional review board and US federal laws concerning socio-behavioral research.
Brogt, E., Sabers, D., Prather, E.E., Deming, G.L., Hufnagel, B., & Slater, T.F. (2007). Analysis of the Astronomy Diagnostic Test. Astronomy Education Review, 6(1).
Analyzes a large Astronomy Diagnostic Test database and discusses the usefulness of the Astronomy Diagnostic Test as a means to discriminate between various instructional styles.
Brogt, E. (2007). Astronomy Education: Becoming a Hybrid Researcher. Journal of Research Practice, 3(1), Article M2.
More autobiographical article for a special issue of the JRP on graduate student experiences with research. Discusses being an international student and the change in profession from a research astronomer to science educator.
Emonts, B. H. C., Morganti, R., van Gorkom, J. H., Oosterloo, T. A., Brogt, E., & Tadhunter, C. N. (2008). From major merger to radio galaxy: Low surface-brightness stellar counterpart to the giant HI ring around B2. 0648+27 (Research Note). Astronomy & Astrophysics, 488(2), 519-522.
