Calendar | Menus | Scholarships


A TRIP INTO OUTER SPACE:       Send a link to a friend

Real-life simulation accelerates students' interest

[APRIL 14, 2005]  How different might it be if students were to understand the payoff for years of education while they are yet young? How would it be if they did their homework every day with a larger vision than just that day's work? Would they be more focused, excited and generally all-around better students?                       [click here for pictures]

Maybe so. That is a question that might be better answered by a teacher and students of a seventh-grade Chester-East Lincoln class after their space adventure in February.

Twenty-two students discovered the thrill and adventure of a trip into space through a morning-long program at the Challenger Learning Center at the Prairie Aviation Museum in Bloomington. Students used academic skills that they have developed -- particularly math, science and technology -- while working on a real-life simulated space mission at the center.

Six months of preparation and anticipation brought the best out of students, according to their teacher, Mr. Doug Rader.

Mr. Radar informed the students about the program at the start of the school year and challenged them to start earning points that would qualify them to attend the limited-enrollment program. Their science studies focused on the solar system and the universe.

Those who qualified were rewarded with more challenges when Mr. Radar involved them in some of the pre-exercises. The students' interest heightened as their learning grew more focused.

On the day of their mission, the students arrived at the learning center at 9 a.m. charged up and ready to be put to the test.

Defining questions that were raised during the program, such as "What are the parts of a comet?" became increasingly complex. Yet, no question went unanswered by the obviously proud and well-prepared students.

In the central mission room they were introduced to their flight directors, who provided a pre-mission briefing and assigned each of them roles.

Then they split into two groups, going to two locations -- either the space station or the mission control room. Each location had corresponding sophisticated-sounding teams to work within. Communications and data, remote, probe, life support, medical, isolation and navigation teams were formed.

As students entered high-tech rooms they oriented themselves with their fully equipped stations. Notebooks detailed their job description and procedures.

Now with all in place, everyone counted down, "Ten, 9, 8 … one, liftoff," and their mission began.

Challenger Center commanders Janet Moore and Stacey Shrewsbury facilitated the expedition and rallied the students in the two rooms for collaborative decisions via video telecommunications.

Students monitored the launch and flight activities, wearing headsets and observing overhead screens and computers.

Announcements occasionally interrupted the flow when unexpected things happened. Using problem-solving techniques the students directed the mission with collaborative decisions. Their on-the-spot decisions protected the astronauts and led to new discoveries.

After completing their first mission the students were debriefed and given the decision whether to start a new mission or enter phase two of the first mission. This group identified a comet and evaluated its significance as important enough to continue its study.

The students switched locations so that everyone was able to experience both a space station and the mission control room.

[to top of second column in this article]

The months of advanced preparations were revealed by students' performance. They were like athletes who had been in training for an event as they took to their various assigned roles. Concentration shown on their faces, and a cooperative, respectful atmosphere dominated the morning. Vocabulary included terms like "mass density," "spectral analysis" and "eccentricity."

When the two groups were reunited, the morning accomplishments were proclaimed with great enthusiasm. The newly identified celestial body sporting a long tail was aptly named "C-EL Panthers 7."

The pictures tell the whole story. All of the students gave it their best. They looked and acted professional in the high-tech environment. 
[click here for the pictures]

The C-EL superintendent, Ms. Vicky Childs, caught up to the group at midmorning. Afterward she said she was impressed with both the program and how she saw it bring out the best in the students.

The general consensus of the adults who accompanied the group was, "Cool. Makes me wish I was a kid and could do this!"

Students from the class who had not qualified for the space program were given a tour of the Prairie Aviation Museum by Norm Winkler and the Image Air facility. After that they attended a celestial program, "Tail of the Comet," at the ISU Planetarium.

Sponsors

Heritage in Flight Museum of Lincoln sponsored the C-EL trip.

Mr. Rader was chosen because his past teaching history demonstrated interest in challenging students through programs outside the classroom.

Representatives of HIF contacted Mr. Rader early last summer and offered him the opportunity. The program included teacher training time, materials for pre- and post-lessons in the classroom, and the half-day program with students at the center. Mr. Rader said that he had heard of the program, which opened a little over a year ago, and was really interested, but he knew that it was out of reach with the school in financially hard times.

This was the first class that HIF sponsored. The members who observed the students at the center were excited by the quality of the program and plan to sponsor another group next year.

The Challenger Center

The Challenger Learning Center in Bloomington is one of 52 in the world. The Bloomington center has programs designed to suit to all ages. They include social missions for families and large groups as well as team-building exercises for the corporate world. The school program remains their emphasis.

You can learn more about the center at http://www.challengercentralillinois.org.

You can visit Heritage In Flight Museum at the Logan County Airport any Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.

See http://aeroweb.brooklyn.cuny.edu/
museums/il/hifm/hifm.htm
for a description or visit http://www.heritageinflight.org/.

[Jan Youngquist]

 

Previous articles

Scholarships

Back to top


 

News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries

Community | Perspectives | Law & Courts | Leisure Time | Spiritual Life | Health & Fitness | Teen Scene
Calendar | Letters to the Editor