Educators Learn "Mathemagical" Ways to Engage Students in Math
06.24.04
NASA Glenn Research Center
Cleveland, Ohio
Sallie Keith
Media Relations Office
Phone: 216-433-5795
Email: Sallie.A.Keith@nasa.gov
Note To Editors/News Directors: 04-046
Through hands-on and interactive group activities, twenty-five educators from middle schools across the country participated in a NASA Explorer Schools Program workshop, entitled The "Mathemagical" International Space Station, at NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland.
During the workshop, held June 12-17, they learned about the International Space Station (ISS) with a "mathemagical" spin integrating ISS science and research with mathematics. They also discovered exciting and creative ways to engage their students in math.
Two of the workshop activities were The Mathematics of Space Rendezvous, which provided background material and classroom activities related to the basic mathematical operations of spacecraft rendezvous in Earth orbit, and Who Added the "Micro" to Gravity?, an introduction to microgravity with a hands-on activity and demonstration of the important role chemistry plays in microgravity research.
The NASA Explorer Schools (NES) program is sponsored and funded by NASA and implemented through a contract with the National Science Teachers Association. NES is a 3-year partnership between NASA and the school and/or school district. It provides an opportunity for educators, administrators, students, and families to partner with NASA to improve student learning; participate in authentic experiences with NASA science and technology; apply NASA science, mathematics, and technology knowledge to real-word issues and problems; and participate in special events and other opportunities.
Further information about the program is located at
http://explorerschools.nasa.gov.
The teachers who participated in the workshop are listed below by their state and city of residence.
California
Riverside - Deborah L. Collins
San Diego - Bill Freeman
Santa Ana - Jaclyn Beck
Florida
Miami Gardens - Wylene Moore
Miramar - Claudia Hessing
Panama City - Marilyn Wallace
Panama City - Betty Higuera
Panama City - Becky Peltonen
Pembroke Pines - Gloria Lerner
Iowa
Peterson - Lisa Stoner
Sioux Rapids - Karen Stacy
Minnesota
Minneapolis - Joseph Chan
Mississippi
Brandon - Jennifer Colson
Braxton - Stacy Everett
Byram - Patti Lewis
Florence - Stephanie Gatlin
Florence - Faye Smith
Gulfport - Sandi Parks
Moss Point - Freda Davis
Nevada
Las Vegas - Jennifer Ritz
New Mexico
Las Cruces - Margo DiMatteo
North Dakota
Bismarck - Tammy Brown
Oregon
McMinnville - Scott Curtis
South Carolina
Saluda - Suzanne Smith
Tennessee
Bolivar - Kim Sain
