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6.3 Teacher Training

The KidSat Summer Teacher Training Institute is held during two weeks in July for teachers implementing the KidSat curriculum. IAAY brought together pilot teachers with the Core Curriculum Design Team (CCDT), scientists, engineers, and school district curriculum specialists. Teachers participated in lessons from the modules taught by the CCDT and scientists from JPL, NASA centers, and UCSD. They were immersed in the KidSat curriculum much like the students. Teachers were given the opportunity to work with the technology, annotate images, and participate in mission simulations. This hands-on experience enabled teachers to return to their classrooms, excited and prepared to guide students through the experience of KidSat.

The first KidSat Summer Teacher Training Institute took place in 1995 at JPL. Three middle school teachers representing school districts in San Diego, California; Pasadena, California; and Charleston, South Carolina attended the institute. These pilot program teachers implemented the KidSat curriculum during the 1995-1996 school year with the STS-76 mission in March 1996. The 1996-1997 school year saw the addition of another district in Omaha, Nebraska, a school in the Charleston County School District, and several schools already associated with NASA centers. The number of KidSat schools then totaled 17. Twelve middle school teachers attended the teacher training held at Caltech in Pasadena, California. Training emphasized incorporating the KidSat curriculum into all the middle school disciplines. In 1997, two Institutes were held, one in Omaha, Nebraska, and the other in Charleston, South Carolina. Fifty teachers from 19 schools attended the two weeks of training. KidSat now included four school in North Carolina, five in South Carolina, six in California, six in Nebraska, along with 31 schools associated with NASA centers. The 50 teachers who attended the institute formed interdisciplinary teams from their respective schools. Media and technology specialists from participating schools also attended to build stronger support at the schools. Pilot teachers from STS-81 supported the institute instructors, including the CCDT and local scientists from the University of Charleston, the South Carolina Space Grant Consortium, and the University of Nebraska.

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Figure 45: Elizabeth Jones Stork discusses images with teachers at the 1996 Summer Teacher Training Institute.

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