Preservice Teachers and K-12 Learners: Alternative Space Science Engagement Perspectives
Abstract: During the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the NASA Space Science Education Consortium (NSSEC) and the Heliophysics Activation Team (HEAT) from the University of North Texas began to develop COVID pivot activities for space science engagement at the middle school level that could be used by learners who were not in the classroom. Maggie Goes to Mars was developed and tested with K-12 learners over an 18-month period. During the fall of 2021, preservice teacher candidates enrolled in a Technology Tools for Educators course at a large midwestern university, were asked to take a K-12 learner perspective and complete the learning challenge recently introduced to middle school students, as part of their course assignments. Findings from measured outcomes and lessons learned from comparing and contrasting these two groups are the focus of this paper, with an emphasis on teacher education.