NASA Education: Elementary Educator PD, Instructional Materials, Student STEM Engagement

1. NASA Education Mission and Roles Educator Professional Development Student STEM Engagement InstructionalMaterials NASA Education: Elementary Educator Professional Development, Instructional Materials, and Student STEM Engagement Vikki Costa Senior Research Associate, NASA and Professor, Secondary Education, California State University Fullerton

2. NASA Vision

3. NASA Mission

4. NASA Education Mission NASA Strategic Objective 2.4 Advance the Nation’s STEM education and workforce pipeline by working collaboratively with other agencies to engage students, teachers, and faculty in NASA’s missions and unique assets. Through our educational partnerships with teachers, students and schools, we are committed to inspiring the next generation of scientists and explorers who will keep America in the forefront of technology, innovation and space exploration. – NASA Administrator Charles Bolden

5. Location of NASA Education Centers Armstrong Fight Research Center

6. Center Expertise • Ames Research Center (ARC) - new knowledge and new technologies that span the spectrum of NASA interests. • Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) - As the lead for flight research, Armstrong continues to innovate in aeronautics and space technology. • Glenn Research Center (GRC) - technologies and systems for safe and reliable aeronautics, aerospace, and space applications. • Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) - expand knowledge on the Earth and its environment, the solar system, and the universe through observations from space. • Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) - lead facility for robotic exploration of the solar system. • Johnson Space Center (JSC) - lead NASA’s effort in Human Space Exploration. • Kennedy Space Center (KSC) - preparing and launching missions around the Earth and beyond. • Langley Research Center (LRC) - aviation and space research for aerospace, atmospheric sciences, and technology commercialization. • Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) - access to space and use of space for development to benefit humanity. • Stennis Space Center (SSC) - NASA’s rocket propulsion testing

7. NASA UAS Uses • Used in “dirty, dull, and dangerous” missions • fighting pilot fatigue, increasing mission duration, gathering data in unsafe conditions Flight crew and scientists occupy the Global Hawk Operations Center at NASA Armstrong during the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes hurricane study in the fall of 2010. Credits: NASA Photo / Tom Tschida

8. NASA UAS: Ikhana • MQ-9 Predator-B • Ikhana means “intelligent, conscious or aware” (Native American Choctaw). • Mission Example: NASA’s Ikhana has carried sensor and communications equipment that improved the ways we fight wildfires. • Recorded “hot spots” on ground below and monitored fire progression; information combined with Google maps and sent to interagency fire center. With smoke from the Lake Arrowhead, CA area fires streaming in the background, NASA's Ikhana unmanned aircraft headed out on a wildfire imaging mission (2007). NASA Photo / Jim Ross

9. NASA Mission: UAS and NAS Integration • Integration of Piloted and Unpiloted Aircraft • UAS integration into NAS (National Airspace System) • Challenges • Ability for UAS to sense and avoid other aircraft • Communications between UAS and other aircraft • Standardized safety and certification guidelines • UAS air traffic control Artistic Concept of UAS in NAS, Photo Credit: NASA

10. AFRC sUAS in the News: Students Fly Prototype of Potential Mars Airplane • sUAS named Preliminary Research Aerodynamic Design to Land on Mars, or PRANDTL-M • Aircraft's wingspan will measure 24 inches and weigh less than a pound (important because Mars gravity is only 38% of earth) • Made of composite material, such as fiberglass or carbon fiber • Current research focuses on deployment and flight in Mars airspace. This illustration shows what a Prandtl-m might look like flying above the surface of Mars. Credits: NASA Illustration / Dennis Calaba

11. Educator Professional Development K-6

12. Alignment with U.S. Education Priorities • NASA Education programs are consistent with goals, objectives, and strategies of the Federal STEM Education 5-Year Strategic Plan. • The CoSTEM Strategic Plan identifies five priority investment areas, • Improve STEM Instruction • Prepare 100,000 excellent new K-12 STEM teachers by 2020; support existing STEM teacher workforce. • Increase and Sustain Youth and Public Engagement in STEM • Support 50% increase in number U.S. youth who have authentic STEM experience each year, prior to completing high school. • Enhance STEM Experience of Undergraduate Students • Graduate 1,000,000 additional students with degrees in STEM fields over next 10 years. • Better Serve Groups Historically Underrepresented in STEM Fields • Design Graduate Education for Tomorrow’s STEM Workforce

13. Operating Principles for NASA Education • Utilize Evidence-Based Strategies in instructional design and educator professional development • Promote Diversity • Facilitate Collaborations • Ensure Alignment with NASA Missions • Conduct Evaluation

14. NASA Educator Professional Development • Educator Professional Development Educator Professional Development (EPD) • Uses NASA’s missions, education resources, and unique facilities • Provides high-quality STEM content and hands-on learning experiences educators • Provides educators with the knowledge, skills, and ability to deliver unique STEM content to learners who will ensure the economic growth and competitiveness of our nation.

15. Goals for PD for Three Groups of Educators • In-service educators - currently practicing teachers • Provide classroom-focused PD to increase use of NASA-related materials in classroom instruction • Increase knowledge, skills, and comfort level of elementary-level educators in teaching STEM • Pre-service educators - education majors/teacher candidates • Expose future educators to NASA content/missions through two strategies: • Partnerships with higher education institutions • Face-to-face institutes and online PD • Informal educators – provide education in informal settings • Increase informal educators’ understanding of NASA-related STEM content • Motivate and encourage informal educators to use NASA materials

16. 4 PD Delivery Mechanisms • Face to Face (F2F) Institutes • At NASA facilities, grade-appropriate levels based on specific audiences, for a minimum of 40 contact hours • Partner-Delivered EPD • Through “train-the-trainer” model with partners (school districts, YSOs) • Online EPD • Include synchronous and asynchronous virtual learning opportunities that enhance and extend the breadth, depth, and reach of NASA’s EPD training, content, and resources, utilizing a variety of electronic delivery tools. • Community-Requested EPD • Flexible model to assist educators on regional level (e.g., local schools/districts, state Departments of Education, universities, museums, etc.)

17. Additional Opportunities for Elementary Educators • NASA Internships • Competitive awards to support educational work opportunities that provide unique NASA-related experiences for educators and secondary/university students. • These opportunities engage participants with real-world experiences while contributing to the operation of a NASA facility or the advancement of NASA’s missions. • Strategic Partnerships • With YSOs • Via STEM Challenges • Via digital learning tools and applications

18. EXAMPLES: NASA Educator Professional Development • Include tours of centers, webinars, grants, lectures, institutes, online resources, and events • Some are time sensitive; others are ongoing • EXAMPLES • Preservice Educator Institutes  • AREE (Airborne Research Experiences for Educators) 

19. Instructional Materials

20. EXAMPLES: NASA Instructional Materials • These materials are directed to educator audiences and include curriculum activity guides that address classroom implementation, individual lesson plans, and other instructional resources. • STEM content is linked to NASA missions and unique NASA-related content. • Examples of K-6 Educator Guides • BEST (Beginning Engineering, Science, and Technology Activity Guide • 21st Century Explorer • Examples of K-6 Lessons • Database of Classroom Activities • The Sky and Dichotomous Key  • Looking for Life Activity  • Examples of General Resources • Grades K-5 Our World • Engineering Design Packet (Elementary) • Digital Learning Network 

21. Student STEM Engagement

22. STEM Engagement • Designed to provide opportunities for participatory and experiential learning activities using NASA-unique resources. • Based on best practices in motivation, engagement, and learning in formal and informal education. • Three areas: • Public Education Activities - foster interactions with learners of all ages to spark an interest in STEM disciplines using NASA-unique materials and resources; usually short in duration. • Experiential Learning Opportunities - enable formal/informal learners to acquire knowledge, understand what they have learned, and apply that knowledge through inquiry-based and project-based activities. • STEM Challenges - provide creative applications of NASA-related science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and cross-cutting concepts. They challenge existing assumptions and encourage learners to demonstrate their knowledge of STEM subjects while enhancing innovation, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

23. EXAMPLES: NASA Student STEM Engagement • These materials are directed to student audiences and include multimedia, text-based articles, and interactives on NASA missions and related content.   • Many are appropriate for use in classrooms as part of student learning or research.​  • Also included in this category are student engineering design challenges. • Examples K-4 • STEM on Station • NASA Kids Clubhouse  • Examples 5-8 • NASA Knows • Engineering Design Challenges • Mars Exploration Design Challenge (Current)  • 3D Space Container Challenge (2015) 

24. References • NASA Education Implementation Plan 2015-2017 E3 January 2016 • ​NASA Education • NASA