NASA, STEM, and PBL

PBL: Our district is beginning to embrace PBL as an effective tool, especially in our Magnet School Programs. I believe PBL is very helpful in not only increasing student understanding but in ENGAGING them in the first place, and establishing interest. PBL REQUIRES practice of skills as described in the "Framework for 21st Century Learning" such as self direction, flexibility, responsibility, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking.

STEM: the core of what students need to succeed in the 21st Century. Science drives new discoveries that are useful and sometimes necessary for life. Technology, as so many of the resources we read and viewed demonstrated, is key to getting things done and with sharing knowledge. Engineering brings the tools needed to study science and develop technology. Math is a core subject that is directly related to the other three STEM areas.

NASA: As we review what has come out of NASA above and beyond space exploration, how can we NOT see the relevance of this program in our everyday lives? The products that have been developed based on and built upon NASA research are phenomenal. The "NASA at Home and City" flash video provides an excellent overview of many of these products. By learning how NASA research led to the development of products such as scratch resistant glass lenses, UV blocking materials used in sunglasses, wireless headsets, Carbon Monoxide Detectors and many more opens our eyes to the value of Project-based learning and how working on one problem can lead to a myriad of other opportunities. 21st century education must help our students learn how to think and work this way.