Upper School Astronomy Students Explore Gravity’s Mysteries Through Hands-On Learning

In a recent Upper School Astronomy class, students took a creative approach to unraveling one of science’s most intriguing forces: gravity. Moving beyond traditional textbooks, the lesson challenged students to investigate the abstract nature of gravitation through hands-on exploration and collaborative inquiry.

The unit lesson named “How to Survive a Black Hole” integrated principles from the contemporary astrophysicist Janna Levin’s book, Black Hole Survival Guide. According to Director of Institutional Research and astronomy teacher, Dr. Stephanie Capen, Upper School students entered the lesson with a basic understanding: gravity keeps the moon in orbit around Earth, Earth orbiting the Sun, and even holds our solar system within the Milky Way galaxy. But the lesson centered around an interesting question: how exactly does gravity work? 

To bridge this knowledge gap, the class adopted a constructivist pedagogical approach. “Students were encouraged to form their own questions and seek answers through experimentation,” said Dr. Capen. Using stretched fabric across a raised hoop and various spheres and masses, students simulated the warping of space-time caused by mass. Their curiosity sparked questions like, “What if we roll multiple objects at once?” and “What happens if we have two large masses on the fabric?”

“The lesson promoted student agency and deeper understanding by allowing learners to co-construct knowledge and transfer their experiences to complex astronomical content,” explained Dr. Capen.