The Deliberative Pedagogy (DeeP) Faculty Collaborative consists of faculty from Davidson College and other higher education institutions who are committed to learning and implementing new ways to improve and deepen the quality of their class discussions. These faculty come from a wide array of disciplines and backgrounds to study and discuss deliberative pedagogy methods, share their ideas and questions with one another, and work to embed deliberation in their classrooms. In this special blog series, members of the Collaborative describe and reflect on their experiences developing and teaching their deliberation-involved courses.
By Kristen Thompson (2024-25 Deliberative Pedagogy Collaborative Faculty Fellow)
Astronomy is the oldest of all sciences, with beginnings that predate recorded history. Artifacts from as early as 1600 BC provide evidence for early observations and understanding of the sky from all around the globe. In a course that explores the whole of the Universe over the whole of time, one is bound to encounter many examples of disagreement, whether about physical laws, interpretations ofvobservations, or topics that are sensitive and meaningful to different cultures. Despite our differences, we all live under the same sky; a sky that transcends conflict and connects us all to the Universe and to each other. This common umbrella of the sky and the rich history of conflict within the field of astronomy inspired me to integrate deliberation into my introductory astronomy course at Davidson College.
The Introductory Astronomy Course
Introductory astronomy is one of the most popular general education STEM classes nationwide and is largely taken by non-science majors who aim to fulfil their Natural Science distribution requirement. As such, astronomy is often students’ only exposure to science in college and the last science course they will ever take. Most of these students will not become scientists, but rather the future teachers, lawyers, physicians, journalists, and citizens who will have a large impact on public perceptions of science.
Of course, I want students to leave my class with an understanding of the field of astronomy. However, I also find it important that they acquire an understanding of the diversity of thought in science, how deliberation can forge stronger collaboration, and a recognition of astronomy as a human endeavor that transcends individual cultures, eons, and our own planet. While I have long desired to merge the worlds of astronomy as a science and astronomy as a human experience, I have struggled to effectively do so, largely due to time constraints.
In a one-semester astronomy course, such as the one offered at Davidson, I am challenged with the task of introducing students to the whole Universe in about 16 weeks. I have found it difficult to add discussions about the human endeavor of astronomy when several important astronomy concepts have been omitted to fit the course into the one-semester format. I have found deliberation to be an effective way to connect these two worlds and create a path for incorporating meaningful discussions into the introductory astronomy course.
How I Incorporated Deliberation
One of the most challenging parts of integrating deliberation was selecting topics that were both current and ones in which I believed students would be invested. I decided to focus on two structured deliberations the first time integrating this new method into the course. The first deliberation came near the beginning of the course while we were discussing constellations, light pollution, and the view of the sky from different parts of the world. Students explored the scientific importance of dark skies for astronomical research and the cultural significance of dark skies to civilizations around the world and throughout time. They were then introduced to “satellite constellations” such as Elon Musk’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper. Students wrote deliberation guides that summarized the importance of such satellite constellations and the effect that they have on dark skies and astronomical research. Upon the completion of the deliberation guides and careful research about all sides of the issue, students engaged in a one-hour small-group deliberation during class.
The second deliberation occurred near the middle of the course during our unit about telescope properties, optics, and atmospheric requirements for their successful operation. Students discovered that the best locations for telescope construction unfortunately coincided with mountain tops that are sacred grounds for indigenous peoples. Our deliberation specifically focused on the ongoing debate about the building of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on the summit of Mauna Kea, a site that is sacred to Native Hawaiians. Students researched the history of Native Hawaiians, their connection to Mauna Kea, the benefits of the construction of the observatory, and various viewpoints about the issue. They once again created deliberation guides prior to hosting a small-group deliberation in class.
Within the small groups, each student was required to first describe their stance on the issue prior to an open group discussion and summarize their key take aways and suggestions for finding common ground at the end of the deliberation. Facilitators monitored the open discussion to encourage balanced participation and to ensure all students were given space and time to express their views.
One of the most significant outcomes of the deliberative format as compared to simple discussions that I have used in the past were the student suggestions for finding a path forward. Many of the suggestions offered were not only creative, but also plausible. Students were generating real solutions to current problems. Some suggestions required action by government officials or other organizations but some referenced actions that community members can take to minimize conflict. The deliberative process and the creation of actionable outcomes helped students see the mutual connection between themselves and the Universe.
Looking Forward
There were several lessons learned during my first experience of integrating deliberation into the astronomy class. The first lesson is that students require much more facilitator training than initially anticipated. Class time was dedicated to learning about the deliberative process and the role of the facilitator. However, students needed more practice guiding the conversation and encouraging participation before the first large deliberation. The next time the course is offered, I plan to introduce several smaller deliberative tasks during which students can practice and refine their skills prior to hosting the first large deliberation.
Secondly, I found that there was little disagreement among students at the beginning of both deliberations, leading to open discussions in which the main response was “I agree” and one-sided arguments. Students often struggled to maintain a meaningful discussion for more than a few minutes without intervention from a facilitator to play devil’s advocate. There are many contentious topics such as immigration or abortion for which students have strong opinions that have been influenced by, for example, personal experiences or political beliefs. They have spent a long time debating these topics with friends and have been exposed to coverage of them by the media and may therefore feel more intimately connected to them.
The topics of light pollution and telescope construction on which we deliberated in class were not as familiar, and perhaps students had a harder time connecting with them. In both deliberations, the majority of students seemed to find the topics less contentious than anticipated. For example, most students were willing to sacrifice dark skies for better internet connectivity via satellite constellations and most quickly came to the conclusion that telescopes simply should not be built on sacred grounds, period. I plan to spend more time connecting students to the issues in the future to help better prepare them for a balanced deliberation.
Thirdly, I believe that the physical environment in which the deliberation is held could influence the outcome. Perhaps students would feel more connected to the discussion if, for example, the discussion about light pollution were held at night, outdoors, under the stars.
Conclusion
While imperfect, my first experience integrating deliberation into an introductory astronomy course was encouraging. As an astrophysicist, my academic experience and training has been based almost entirely on learning physical laws, scientific facts, and equations to describe the workings of the Universe.
Participation in the Deliberative Pedagogy Collaborative has been rewarding and has greatly impacted my teaching and my own thinking. Learning how to effectively guide class discussions and facilitate deliberation has transformed my astronomy class into a space where students not only learn scientific content but also explore the human connection to the subject. While traditional science courses may not include much discussion, I encourage more science faculty to take a deliberative approach to help students personally engage in the subject matter.
