The College of Education sponsors a trip to the Kennedy Space Center NASA to provide College of Education students with STEM professional development that they can use in lesson planning and future instruction.
The Spring NASA trip consisted of experiences such as a professional development workshop, exploring the Atlantis exhibit, Goddard Rocket Garden, Heroes and Legends exhibit, an IMAX movie, and touring the visitor’s center.
The professional development workshops are based on the belief that real-life problems capture students’ interest and provoke critical thinking skills. Students learn and apply new knowledge to the problem-solving context. The teacher plays the role of facilitator, working with students to frame questions, structuring meaningful tasks, coaching knowledge development and social skills, and assessing what students have learned from the experience.
The Goddard Rocket Garden at NASA features many types of rockets and old flight hardware. Each piece in the collection is a real artifact. All that are on display are real, even though certain components have been removed for safety. The Heroes and Legends Exhibit includes the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Ninety three Americans are on exhibit with the space exploration journeys of Mercury, Gemini and Apollo.
Interactive kiosks provide the stories of each of the Hall of Fame inductees. A four dimensional theater allows you to join four of the heroes during a dangerous stage of their
mission. The heroes description characteristics include — inspired, passionate, curious, tenacious, disciplined, courageous, principled and confident.
NASA tries to inspire interest in science, technology, engineering, mathematics or STEM. NASA supports colleges and schools by providing internship and research opportunities. Professional development is offered for preservice, in-service and informal educators as well as college professors.
There are two primary Office of Education programs: The SEA program (STEM Education and Accountability) provides learners and educators to NASA assets. The ARCD (Aero Space Research and Career Development) accomplishes its goals through beneficial relationships with external partners recruiting those underrepresented in STEM fields.
NASA understands that an emphasis on STEM will give students a foundation in preparation for middle school, high school, college, and future careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Current opportunities for PreService Educators
Learn more about NASA Kennedy Space Center.