GSU Invited to Participate in NASA Pre-Service Educator Institutes at Stennis Space Center
Grambling, LA – Grambling State University (GSU) was invited to participate in the NASA MUREP (Minority University Research and Education Project) Educator Institute that was held June 6-10, 2016 at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Participants from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction were: Ginger Abney, La Sadie Dixon, Asia Scott, and Danyelle Cober. Dr. Loretta Walton Jaggers, Professor of Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, served as the faculty sponsor.
The teacher candidates and the faculty sponsor participated in a series of activities that served as an introduction to the on-site experiences at Stennis. The Grambling team also viewed and discussed various webinars and videos that were presented by NASA Specialists, and interacted with NASA specialists regarding the design, implementation, and submission of final culminating projects.
The team had opportunities to develop and implement lesson plans based on NASA concepts that were presented at the Institute. As a result of participating in the NASA Educator Institute at Stennis, Grambling State was presented the plaque, “NASA MSI (Minority Serving Institution) Emerging Stars Network 2016 Institutional Member”.
According to NASA, “the primary goal of this institute is to utilize NASA’s unique assets, resources and Subject Matter Experts to provide high-quality learning experiences for undergraduate and alternative route STEM pre-service educators.”
The diverse, highly interactive program activities at Stennis Space Center involved the use of NASA Education resources, and “best practices” instructional strategies that related to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) concepts. Multiple experiences were also provided to minute an increased understanding of “human space exploration”.
According to Dr. Jaggers. “The NASA Educator Institute at Stennis Space Center was an excellent and a rewarding experience for all participants involved. The teacher candidates had diverse opportunities to enhance their knowledge and skills about various resources and strategies for developing STEM concepts in the PK-12 classrooms.”
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