Roth Planetarium Teaching Philosophy is based upon active learning and the constructivist approach to learning. Constructivism emphasizes the importance of the knowledge, beliefs, and skills an individual brings to the experience of learning. It recognizes the construction of new understanding as a combination of prior learning, new information, and readiness to learn. Individuals make choices about what new ideas to accept and how to fit them into their established views of the world. Constructivist teachers refer to raw data, primary sources, and interactive materials to provide experiences for their students rather than relying solely on another's set of data.
Prior knowledge impacts the learning process.
Initial understanding is local, not global. The interpretation of stimuli depends upon previously constructed learning . A student's world-view filters all experiences and affects their interpretation of observations. They come in with certain expectations about what is going to happen. In the constructivist planetarium, the Planetarian is not someone who simply dispenses information, but structures activities that allow the student to learn or construct desired concepts.