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| Paper: |
Creating a “Heliophysics Community of Practice” for Formal Educators |
| Volume: |
473, Communicating Science |
| Page: |
327 |
| Authors: |
Ali, N. A.; Peticolas, L.; Fricke, K.; Yan, D. |
| Abstract: |
The Center for Science Education at the Space Sciences Laboratory (CSE@SSL) at the University of California, Berkeley, is expanding a community of practice for formal educators who teach Heliophysics-related subjects. The objective of this community of practice is to engage middle and high school teachers, their students, and the public in the science of Heliophysics. This community of practice provides teachers with a means of furthering their own content knowledge and understanding of space science and engineering, as well as provides them with a forum for discussing the challenges and sharing successes related to teaching these subjects. This community of practice grows out of the Geomagnetic Event Observation Network by Students (GEONS) project which is run the by the THEMIS-ARTEMIS mission Education/Public Outreach (EPO) program. The GEONS project established ground-based magnetometers at schools around the United States, and supports teachers and students at these schools by providing high quality science and math educational materials, a website which provides a content base, and opportunities for teachers and students to present their research at scientific conferences and outreach events. The RBSP EFW instrument EPO is providing additional support to leverage and build upon the success of the GEONS project to expand this community of practice. Eight teachers will be given honoraria to act as “seed teachers” for this community. These teachers will provide leadership regarding the design and direction of the community of practice, ensuring that the community is driven by teacher needs and creating a sense of ownership by the teachers. In moving forward with this initiative, CSE@SSL recognizes the need to work meaningfully within the landscape of existing NASA and other community of practice efforts. We are interested in getting feedback from the EPO community and discussing how this effort can complement, leverage and/or partner with other Heliophysics education efforts. |
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