Tracy Harlan, teacher at Tucker Valley Elementary Middle School, recently joined efforts with NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to bring the Star Lab to her school. Students were able to learn more about the galaxy around them and how to locate specific stars within the solar system.
“When the opportunity for training arose I jumped at the chance because former mentor and retired teacher, Eileen Poling, brought many exceptional NASA opportunities to our school during her time here and she inspired me to do the same. The educational forum NASA offers students and teachers are based on real-life scenarios and allow students the chance to think beyond what the eye can see and develop critical thinking skills that can be applied in a wide range of areas.” , Harlan said.
Harlan stated, “Fellow teachers, Kim McCrum, Sarah Kovach, and I took what the students had learned about the planets from the Star Lab and challenged them to create a map and robot that could be programmed to explore Mars. It was fun to see creative minds at work as they applied a code to get their robots to move in the correct manner. Coding is fun for students. It is a skill that anyone can learn, and it’s a huge part of many different career paths. Knowing basic coding skills will be essential in the future, and teaching kids to code in the classroom can make a huge difference in their cognitive abilities and future opportunities.”
Harlan said she hopes to continue to bring the Star Lab each year and utilize it with other students. It makes memories that students never forget.
