Local teachers will fill classrooms this summer at TheUniversity of Memphis to learn about aviation and space technologyat The University's annual Basic and Advanced AerospaceWorkshops.
Held on campus every summer since 1963, the workshops aredesigned to develop a better understanding of aerospace conceptsand skills among primary and secondary school educators, said J. F.Crabtree, professor of instruction and curriculum leadership anddirector of the Aerospace Workshop program since 1981.
They are open to teachers and administrators in public andprivate schools across West Tennessee.
The number of teachers selected for the program each yeardepends on the funding for that year, Crabtree said.
"We hope the program makes teachers enthusiastic about goingback to their classrooms and incorporating aerospace informationinto their teaching," Crabtree said. "As a result, we hope studentswill become more interested in seeking careers in the field ofaerospace technology."
Teachers who complete the program receive three hours ofundergraduate or graduate credit and two hours of flightinstruction.
In addition to learning basic information about aerospacetechnology, participants are given resources that aid in classroominstruction.
Every year, a liaison from the United States Air Force comeswith flight equipment, which is used to better explain the flightprocess, Crabtree said. They also schedule several classroom visitsthroughout the year.
Flight instruction is administered aboard a Cessna 172 airplaneat a local airfield, workshop organizers said.
Participants in the Aerospace Workshop program attend dailyclasses at The U of M and take several field trips to aviationsites.
The workshops are taught by faculty from The U of M's Departmentof Instruction and Curriculum Leadership.
The Aeronautics Division of the Tennessee Department ofTransportation provides grants that cover in-state tuition forprogram participants, leaving them responsible for only TheUniversity's activity fee.
Applications for the Aerospace Workshop program are currentlyavailable through the College of Education.
