National Air and Space Museum Educational Programs -- Professional Development

The Museum offers a variety of teacher workshops that can be customized to meet staff development needs and schedules of the participating organization. All workshops support National Education Standards and can be adapted for local curricula.Workshops include hands-on, interactive learning, content experts and classroom-tested lessons. In-service and graduate credit can be arranged.

The participating organization is responsible for organizing and registering teachers. Minimum class size is 10; maximum enrollment per class is 25 teachers. Fees vary based on number of participants, topic and length of training.

To discuss your staff development needs, call Educational Services at the National Air and Space Museum, (202) 633-2540.

Introduce your students to the changes air transportation through lively classroom activities and stories that will bring the past to life while challenging students' mapping and sequencing skills. The workshop is designed as a companion to transportation units in the curriculum, but the lessons can also be used in preparation for hands-on activities during a Museum visit.

Explore the challenges and successes met by black aviators as they joined the growing field of aviation. Participants will analyze primary source materials, discuss issues and events of WWII with experts in the field, and sample classroom lessons that support National Standards in History and Language Arts.

Find out the latest scientific discoveries from current research missions. Learn what the scientists know and how they conduct their research. Study the tools of planetary research, and analyze the images and data they provide.

Investigate how our view of the universe has changed over time and how the tools we use to study the universe have also change. Find out the latest research on overcoming student misconceptions related to cosmology and prepare them to comprehend our current understanding of the universe. Participants will receive prototype activities designed to support the new exhibition, scheduled to open in 2001.

Experiment with hands-on, inquiry-based activities that address the National Science Education Standards on force, motion, and energy transfer. Discover how these concepts apply to flight. Participants will explore the interactive devices in the "How Things Fly" gallery, study aircraft in the Museum that illustrate the technology and learn how to address these topics in the classroom.

Use remote sensing technology to study large-scale environmental features, such as volcanoes, dunes and floods. Participants practice hands-on investigations modeled after scientific research conducted by the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, a research center located in the Museum. Participants receive field-tested lessons and resources for obtaining satellite images.

Learn new ways to help your students understand the historical process by delving into primary source materials – documents, photographs, objects and oral histories. Using sources from the vast collections of the Museum, explore various history topics of your choice. Possible topics include the Wright Brothers and other innovators in flight, the impact of technology on society, space exploration and more.

How did the Wright Brothers apply their knowledge of bicycles and engineering to solve the challenge of flying? This workshop is designed to introduce the physics of flight through hands-on activities that illustrate how wings and propellers work, what true flight is, and the process of invention.