Teachers and administrators will have the opportunity to learn more about aviation science during this year’s summer break in a workshop focused on educating teachers about aviation and space technology.
The annual Aerospace Education Workshop is scheduled for June 6-26 at The University of Memphis.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation Division of Aeronautics has funded the aerospace program at The U of M every summer since 1963. The workshop is open to K-12 teachers and administrators from public and private schools throughout West Tennessee. Participants each pay The U of M an $18 activity fee, but in-state tuition is covered by the grant.
Faculty members from The U of M’s Department of Instruction and Curriculum Leadership within the College of Education conduct the workshop.
Teacher participants receive full in-state tuition and a stipend. They also earn three hours of undergraduate or graduate credit and four hours of flight instruction at a local airport.
Participants in the annual workshop take field trips to aviation sites and facilities while attending daily classes at The U of M.
Joseph F. Crabtree, professor of instruction and curriculum leadership, has been the director of the program since its beginning 40 years ago.
Crabtree said the purpose of the Aerospace Education Workshop is to help teachers develop an understanding of aerospace concepts and skills and for teachers to share career information with students.
Teachers also learn to identify individuals who are willing to come to their classrooms to make presentations. The workshop enables teachers to “teach for tomorrow,” he said.
Crabtree brings in many speakers from various perspectives to educate teachers about the science of aerospace.
For example, Will Robertson from the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., brings a space mobile with him each year to demonstrate a variety of activities to teachers, including the mechanism of the space suit.
Representatives from the Department of Education through the Division of Aeronautics also participate. They discuss the role and function of aerospace in Tennessee, and take two teachers at a time to a local airport for two hours of flight training.
Kathy Baucum, director of aerospace education for the southwest region of SERDAE (Southwest Region Director of Aerospace Education), comes for a day to speak and share ideas for teachers to use in their classrooms.
The president of The 99’s, an organization for female pilots (Amelia Earhart was the first president) also comes to speak to the teachers.
Speakers invited from The U of M’s ROTC also tell teachers about scholarship opportunities, educational support and careers in aerospace.
Representatives from local airlines speak about the training and duties of flight attendants.
In addition to meeting and listening to the speakers, teachers also take field trips.
They go to the Memphis International Airport to visit the control tower, go on a tour of the airport terminal and visit the air traffic control center.
Teachers also go to the Air Vocational Technological Center to learn about training for airplane mechanics.
“The idea is for teachers to go back into their classrooms and incorporate parts of the workshop into their lesson plans to teach their students,” Crabtree said.
