In
reality, the mission begins months in advance with
two days of teacher professional development centered
around the science content, the pedagogy of simulations-based
learning, and the use of technology in teaching.
Once the teachers begin their classroom activities,
Challenger reviews their students' proposals, provides
feedback, and schedules a mission time.
On mission day, students watch as the space shuttle
appears to lift off and astronauts repair a satellite.
This virtual satellite immediately begins "broadcasting"
data about volcanic activity on Montserrat. Throughout
the mission, the flight director at Challenger's
Mission Control is in live contact with students
via video, audio and a "chat window."
At the end of the e-Mission, the flight director
conducts a post-mission briefing. The flight director
reviews the event and gives the young scientists
the opportunity to evaluate what they have learned.
The Science:
e-Mission: Operation Montserrat is all about Earth's
fragile systems and the interplay between life,
land, air and water. The e-Mission is a simulation
that encourages students to take on the role of
scientists by gathering, analyzing and interpreting
data to solve real-life problems. Students:
• use tools and techniques to analyze and interpret
data.
• create descriptions, formulate explanations,
and make predictions using evidence.
• think critically and logically to determine
relationships between evidence and explanations.
• conduct a systematic risk analysis: identifying
the type of hazard, analyzing the risks, and predicting
the human consequences.
The Math:
Students use math to solve problems in a real-life
context. They:
• graph incoming data using X, Y coordinates
or latitude/longitude.
• make estimations and predictions based
on the data.
• use graphs to represent and understand
quantitative relationships and to analyze the
nature of changes.
• model and interpret physical, social, and
mathematical phenomena
• convert from one unit to another.
• apply appropriate techniques, tools, and
formulas to determine measurements and develop
and evaluate inferences.
• apply and adapt a variety of appropriate
strategies to solve problems.
• communicate their mathematical thinking
to peers, teachers, and others.
e-Mission: Operation Montserrat is in the process
of being translated into Spanish to meet the needs
of an ever-growing number of Hispanic students
For a complete time-line for teachers, see
http://clc.wju.edu/om/teacher
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