TeachSpace Home Endorsement Program Yearbooks In the News
RELATED LINKS NASA's Vision for Space Exploration Education Standards

From Florida Leader Magzine "Best of Florida Schools 2005" Issue

TeachSpace -- Best Pre-Space Program

 

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Makes Teachers Spacey

Now thanks to a new program, high school students can daydream about blasting into space, exploring lunar gravitation, and…passing their physics class?

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and NASA have recently joined forces to create TeachSpace. Through this program, high school teachers will learn how to make math and science more appealing by using human space flight and exploration materials in their classrooms.

“We want the teachers to use this information to excite young people about studying math, science, and engineering technology,” says Dr. Rodney Piercey, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at ERAU—Daytona Beach. “A lot of the content of those courses has become pretty boring, and in some cases, frightening to our students.”

Last July, 20 teachers from around Florida were trained in each of the first two TeachSpace workshops. During each three-day workshop, authors and former professors from aerospace schools lead seminars and demonstrations showing teachers how to incorporate space exploration into their lesson plans. For example, when teaching Newton’s Law of Gravitation in a physics class, the teacher could use modules on lunar gravitation to supplement that lesson with space exploration content. All workshop participants receive the textbook series, “Exploration of Aerospace Science,” as well as exercise modules, a student exercise manual, and a teacher’s manual to help them generate more interest in math and science.

Teachers must be nominated by their school principals to be considered for the program. Then, they’re chosen based on the respect they have in their communities, whether they’re in “mid-career,” and whether they teach in math, science, or technology. Each nominee also commits long-term to the program, agreeing to teach other teachers in their school.

“I’ve done teacher workshops on and off for nearly 20 years, and these are the best assessments I’ve ever seen,” Piercey says. “It’s going to be very valuable to learn not only a lot about space science and exploration, but how to provide that in a high school classroom.” —RG

Reprinted with permission from Florida Leader Magazine, Best of Florida Schools 2005 Web edition