Professional Development Workshops for Teachers

The Planetary Science Institute, in partnership with the Tucson Regional Science Center, offers a series of professional development workshops targeting elementary and middle school science teachers within the Tucson, Arizona (USA) area. With the success of this model in Arizona, these workshops are now being implemented in other select cities across the USA.

Using NASA data sets, the results of currently funded research investigations, and a team of Earth and space scientists and educators, these workshops provide teachers with in-depth content knowledge of fundamental concepts in astronomy, geology, and planetary science. We provide a comparative geological perspective on planetary objects that, to many, are simply points of light in the night sky or mysterious and puzzling places that seem far different than our Earth.

By participating in hands-on exercises with NASA images and data, teachers model the processes and skills scientists use. With a stronger knowledge of science content and processes, the workshops instill greater confidence in teachers' abilities to teach Earth and space science to children and the next potential generation of Earth and space scientists.