Abstract:

This study incorporated STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Mathematics) approach strategies into an in-service M.Ed. program. The study includes designing, implementing, and exploring a course named: “The search for life in the universe”. The students are high school science teachers (physics, Biology, Chemistry). The course was conducted by a physics education expert from the science department. The goal of the course was to promote in-service teacher’s pedagogical understanding of inquiry in the STEM field, using astrobiology as an example to a multidisciplinary field.

The search for life beyond Earth requires an understanding of life, and the nature of the universe, as well as planetary, planetary system and stellar interactions and processes. To provide this understanding, astrobiology combines the knowledge and techniques from many fields. Astrobiologists often work together to examine complex questions that no one field can answer alone.

These questions cover topics such as:
- How does life originate?
- What kind of environment is necessary for life to survive?
- What might life look like on another world?
- How can we observe and identify a habitable – or even inhabited – world?

During the course the students were asked to:
- Define Life
- Explain were to search for life in the universe
- Explain how to find life in the universe
- Write a reflective summary of the course

This study followed three different designs of this course comparing the outcome of each course.

Keywords:

SREM, M, Ed Professional development.