SOE partners with NASA to engage area students
STEM Center connects students with NASA’s missions through performance-based learning and engineering design challenges
The Center for Innovation in STEM Education (CISTEME) hosted a virtual teacher workshop for Richmond area middle school districts in collaboration with NASA Langley Research Center and the NASA Wallops Space Flight Facility this past summer. The first phase of this two-part experience provided an engaging virtual teacher professional learning experience August 28-30.
Approximately 27 middle school teachers and specialists from Colonial Heights, Petersburg, Henrico County and Richmond City participated in the offering. Dr. Al Byers, who leads CISTEME, worked closely with the following district science and STEM leads across the four school systems to ensure the experience met each district’s unique needs, and was grade-appropriate and standards-aligned using the compelling context of NASA missions to facilitate deeper understanding of STEM science and engineering content and practices:
- Dr. Decardra Jackson, STEM coordinator, Petersburg City Public Schools
- Dr. Joe Douglas, instructional specialist, Colonial Heights Public Schools
- Eric Rhoades and Rachael Toy, Henrico County Public Schools
- Josh Bearman, science instruction specialist, Richmond City Public Schools
Dr. Byers shared his enthusiasm, saying: “We are excited for CISTEME to help provide this high impact experience in cooperation with our local school districts. Virginia is the only state in the U.S. besides California that has not one but two NASA centers, and the only other state besides Florida that launches payloads directly into orbit, resupplying the International Space Station from Wallops Space Flight Facility. It’s imperative for us to draw upon NASA’s authentic STEM content as an inspiring context for STEM learning across our region!”
Part of this experience made teachers aware of the many internships for teachers and students that are also available at both NASA Langley and NASA Wallops.
Extensive planning with the district coordinators and specialists occurred with insight and expertise from NASA that included the following individuals:
- NASA Langley Research Center: Office of STEM Engagement
- Dr. Kimberly Brush, director
- Dr. Anne Weiss, education specialist
- NASA Wallops Flight Facility: Education Directorate
- Dr. Joyce Winterton, senior advisor for education and leadership development
- Patricia Benner, education specialist
- Victoria Danna, education support specialist
Across the three days, NASA’s Artemis Program provided a compelling backdrop for hands-on learning at a distance with the sixth grade teachers. Artemis will land the first woman and next man on the moon by 2024, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. There has never been a better time to inspire students to be the next generation of engineers, scientists and explorers! The workshop shared the latest developments of the Artemis mission with respect to the design challenges assigned to each NASA location, in addition to discussing the Commercial Crew Program, and the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) citizen science program.
“Teachers who are informed on NASA’s work are our greatest allies in inspiring the students, who will become the workforce of the future.”
Dr. Brush elaborated on the importance of the Artemis Program.
“The Artemis Program is providing career opportunities in all areas of STEM, requiring creative and innovative people to fill new roles – some of which do not even exist yet. Teachers who are informed on NASA’s work are our greatest allies in inspiring the students, who will become the workforce of the future. We are grateful for this opportunity to bring NASA subject matter experts, videos and classroom activities to teachers who are so excited to share NASA’s work with their students,” Brush said.
Teachers learned how to access and leverage NASA engineering design challenges and performance-based learning projects that addressed many sixth grade components of the Virginia Standards of Learning from biology, geology, environmental science and physics. Teachers working virtually learned first-hand from NASA scientists and engineers and participated in hands-on activities they could replicate for their students, including 2-liter rockets and engineering design challenges for life support systems that will soon be on the moon!
Dr. Winterton shared feedback from the teachers.
“The teachers reported that they will use the NASA information in their classes and that it will add a ‘real-world’ connection to their lessons. Middle school teachers are so important in helping students understand that STEM careers can be exciting and rewarding. It was a privilege for NASA to work with such dedicated educators,” Winterton said.
CISTEME worked with their partner at the Science Museum of Virginia (SMV), Timshel Purdum, director of playful learning and inquiry. A virtual earth-moon and solar system tour by Justin Bartel, SMV’s immersive experience manager and astronomer provided an online planetarium experience that may also be delivered to schools directly if desired.
At the end of the three-day workshop, Wallops Flight Facility’s Benner awarded NASA professional development certificates documenting the teachers’ contact hours for their effort. Educators report that they are already using instructional strategies learned this summer with their students while teaching virtually, posting videos of their experiences! The group hopes for a follow-up onsite experience before the school year is out. Stay tuned for more on this front as it launches.
Many teachers provided wonderful feedback such as:
- “Great job! Very informative! I can't wait to attend more NASA workshops for educators!”
- “Everything provided was very useful. Time flew by. Loved the videos that added excitement and just learning about what NASA is doing…I feel I can explain more to my students about what is going on in space exploration and get them excited!”
- “Loved it. Each day was better than the day before. Helpful workshop. You also modeled how to do virtual lessons and get students involved.”
- “This was great. It was content rich and I have a better understanding of the "How" and where we are going in the future. Thank you for the insight into how the Research and Pioneering Facility works. I hope to inspire my students to work at NASA in the future.”
- “My key take-away is how to incorporate the ENTIRE Engineering process in our Science Standards. These presentations encouraged soft skills as team--work, collaboration, creativity and to dream about the future. I got an idea of the work ethics and guiding principles of NASA's workspace (i.e. perseverance, failing forward, improve designs and keep trying). I'll also take away all the resources available to enhance and bring imagery, movement and activities to my instruction.”
- “Great organization and use of time! It honestly has been the most rewarding and useful PD I have had this summer.”
URL shared by Joanna Minott, earth science teacher, Huguenot High School, Richmond City Public Schools (rocket from student at home with parents): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1--ej-0BJK4d3eiie61sd2UgiYkPDW7Jz/view
View the article with screen captures of the training, including URLs to NASA educational resources.
