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6.1 Curriculum Design

The Core Curriculum Design Team (CCDT), comprised of teachers, scientists, engineers and IAAY facilitators, was conceived to design and deliver the KidSat curriculum.  The team created three education modules which supplemented existing middle school curriculum.  The CCDT was also responsible for the training of KidSat pilot teachers.  Based upon their own unique models of teacher training and staff development, the CCDT trained seventy teachers to implement the modules in their classrooms starting with the STS-76 KidSat mission.  The CCDT also contributed to project assessment through the evaluation of instructors and students.  Quarterly meetings were held for curriculum design development and revision as well as the planning of teacher training.

In the spring of 1994, five teachers were selected as initial CCDT members.  They served through the completion of the pilot phase of the project.  These teachers represented the pilot program schools and were recognized for their excellence in instruction and for possessing expertise in particular subject areas.  The CCDT worked together with scientists and engineers to develop interdisciplinary lessons which integrated computer technology with middle school subject areas.  The space science and engineering expertise was provided by scientists and engineers from NASA and various universities.  Specifically, NASA scientists were selected by the lead scientist for education designated by the Office of Mission to Planet Earth at each NASA center.

The KidSat curriculum was designed for middle school students.  The targeting of this age group stems from several educational principles.  The existing middle school curriculum is flexible enough to incorporate a project like KidSat and matches the disciplines encountered in performing a KidSat mission, such as physical lice sciences, math, language arts, and social studies.  The curriculum, modeled after skills used by scientists, emphasizes team building, problem solving, and research.  The modules contain background information, lesson plans, teacher guides, and suggestions for hands-on activities that incorporate the use of images.

Three important principles, collectively known as the "optimal match," serve as the foundation of the KidSat curricular design.  The Optimal Match Theory involves flexibility in teaching, respect for each student's individual learning pace, and a recognition that learning occurs everywhere and at any time.  The modules advance learning by allowing students to determine a basic direction of discovery.  After an introduction and rudimentary support for content topics, followed by fundamental instruction of scientific information and skills, students devise questions determining a course of inquiry.  The module then describes a general topic for discovery and several subtopics.  For instance, after viewing a video of a flyby generated by combining images and topographical data, student interest may focus on how such an image was produced.  This may lead to activities and discussion on light, lenses, cameras, which are all elements of the "Observing Earth from Space" unit. 

The curriculum is currently available through the Johns Hopkins University IAAY, Western Regional Office, Glendale, California.

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