Virginia Space Grant Consortium provides professional development to local teachers

Three Williamsburg teachers were among the 23 high school math and science teachers who received hands-on training this summer to help improve teaching content.

The professional development program was part of the Integrating Science and Math Through Engineering Design Institute program provided by the Virginia Space Grant Consortium. Hosted by New Horizons Regional Education Centers, the institute trained teachers and provided classroom-ready lessons to help integrate engineering design processes into math and science classrooms.

Participating in the program from Williamsburg were Kristin Cosby, science teacher at Jamestown High School; Courtney Gonzalez-Vega, also a science teacher at Jamestown High School; and Eric Hetzel, a math teacher at Lafayette High School. Attendees learned about practices used by scientists, engineers and mathematicians and how to better teach those skills to students. Lessons also covered the various fields of engineering and what an engineer does.

Attendees participated in a video conference hosted by NASA's Digital Learning Network, where they learned how to use video conferencing to bring NASA professionals and materials into the classroom. Science and math faculty from Old Dominion University and Hampton University also discussed methods for improving instruction.

The project was led by Longwood University. Partners included George Mason University, James Madison University, Old Dominion University, The College of William and Mary, Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, MathScience Innovation Center, Virginia Mathematics and Science Coalition, Virginia Association of Science Teachers, American Council of Engineering Companies in Virginia, Southside Virginia Regional Technology Consortium and 50 K-12 school divisions across Virginia.

The Virginia Space Grant Consortium is a coalition of five Virginia colleges and universities, NASA, state educational agencies, Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology and other institutions. For more information, visit vsgc.odu.edu.

Filed under: SCHOOLS