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California State University,
Fresno taught space exploration to approximately 120 Elk Grove Unified
School District fourth-graders in the Pre-Service Teacher Institute at
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Ames Research Center
in Mountain View.
And NASA provided a spectacular wrap-up: the launch of the Lunar Crater
Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) from Cape Canaveral, Fla.,
designed to confirm the presence or absence of water ice on the moon.
Ten Fresno State juniors and seniors on track to teach at the elementary
or middle-school level participated in the annual two-week workshop
(June 7-19) at Moffett Field. The program offers specialized training to
increase knowledge, skills and competence in teaching mathematics and
science to elementary school students by using technology.
The NASA Ames’ Education Office partners with the Teaching Fellows
Program at Fresno State’s Office of Teacher Recruitment in the Kremen
School of Education and Human Development to sponsor the institute.
“NASA recognizes that some teachers who do not specialize in math or
science might not have as much enthusiasm for those subjects, or at
least are not as comfortable with them,” said Brenda Collins, University
Affairs Officer at the Ames Research Center. “The institute curbs this
trend by making math and science hands-on and interesting.”
“The Pre-Service Teacher Institute connects university students with a
world of expertise through NASA personnel and resources,” said Dr. Steve
Price, who directs the Office of Teacher Recruitment in the Kremen
School of Education. “The payoff occurs as participants bring know-how
in technology, math and science to local elementary and middle schools
in an effort to reach underserved students.”
For the LCROSS mission, the Fresno State students were assigned to
develop a lesson that simulated creation of the Earth-based launching
device to yield the most lunar soil for moon excavation of water or ice
and incorporated math and science for the fourth graders.
Anne Murphy, director of Kremen’s Teaching Fellows Program, said the
future teachers interface with NASA personnel, tour Ames Research
Center’s facilities, learning to incorporate briefings and
demonstrations and to brainstorm applications of resources. The workshop
is one of eight funded by NASA at its centers across the nation.
“The Office of Teacher Recruitment administers the institute, selecting
both the participants and the instructors, as well as helping design the
program,” Murphy said. “Having access to NASA’s cutting-edge research
and educational resources helps us to fulfill our mission with the camp:
to develop a passion among future teachers in elementary math and
science.”
The future teachers provide a lesson plan at the end of the session that
incorporates the information from inquiry-based learning methods with
many hands-on activities into state-mandated math and science
curriculums to enrich future local classes. Participants from Fresno
State are provided lodging, transportation, registration and a stipend
during their stay.
Fresno States’ participating students are Meagan Friedrich, Claudia
Martinez and Dao Thao, all of Fresno, Mai Neng Her of Clovis, Guadalupe
Daniel of King City, Bailey MacArthur of Ceres, Jesse Salas of Madera,
Ellie Schoelen of Reedley Jessica Wilke of Hanford and Brittany Williams
of Cerritos.
For more information, contact Jennifer Mastro at 559.230.2103, or
jennifermastro@ercgrants.com.
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