Introduction
A brief review of current practices in astronomy education will suggest that this area
(probably more so than other branches of science education) is often characterized
by an aggregation view of knowledge that is largely incompatible with current
philosophy and practice. At the same time, there has been an increased
consideration of the role of mental models in science education. Two eminent
examples are the activities of the Models in Science and Technology Research in
Education (MISTRE) group, based at the University of Reading, UK, and the
September 2000 edition of the International Journal of Science Education, which was
devoted to the role of model-based teaching and learning. This paper will propose
three arguments for a novel, mental model-building approach to astronomy
education. Three practical questions confronting implementation of a modelbuilding
approach will be addressed and a pedagogical strategy, which served as the
basis for designing a mental model-based astronomy teaching package, will be
presented.