Abstract:

The purpose of this presentation is to share a best practice professional development model for career and technical education aligned with international standards using activities, lesson plans, resources, and teaching strategies and infusing the excitement of space exploration and technology as a motivator. In 2023, the U.S. Department of Education, through Luminary Labs, asked the Virginia Space Grant Consortium to provide a professional development program for middle school (grades 6 to 8) career and technology education teachers. The result was Bringing Space to the Middle School Career and Technology Education (CTE) Classroom -- a two-week summer intensive teacher institute followed by an academic year of classroom integration and additional professional development. Teachers received a stipend and materials allowance for their participation.

Ten educators were selected for participation in this immersive pilot program from school systems with high numbers of underrepresented minorities and/or underserved populations. Educators taught a range of engineering, technology, business, and IT courses. The curriculum focused on lesson plans and activities that featured hands-on and problem-based instruction. All were aligned with International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) standards/competencies. Career exploration and helping students understand career pathways in STEM and aerospace-related fields were essential elements of the curriculum, which used activities inspired by NASA research, technology, and exploration. Teachers undertook each activity just as the students would do and followed each activity, including a debrief and discussion on how the activity could be integrated into their curriculum. They experienced site visits to NASA facilities and the Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. The program was externally evaluated with strong positive impacts on classroom instruction and student engagement. It demonstrated how effectively space-themed activities can be used at the middle school level to teach many CTE core competencies and the value of the professional development to empower teachers to integrate aerospace into their teaching. Due to the program’s success as a best practice model, it has been funded by NASA for two additional years. Old Dominion University’s (ODU) Department of Engineering Technology is a program partner with contributors from NASA, the Virginia Spaceport Authority and other aerospace entities. Links to background materials and lesson plans are provided.

Keywords:

Technology education, career exploration, aerospace education, educator professional development, real world curriculum enhancement.