A stratospheric mission – design of a conceptual framework to bring weather balloons and STEM into the classroom

Frontiers in Education

Education

Kevin Johnson¹  Derek T. O’Keeffe²  Cornelia Connolly³  Patrick Johnson⁴  Mary Fitzpatrick⁵ 

[1] Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Education and Health Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland;Lero, SFI Centre for Software Research, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland;School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland;School of Education, College of Arts, Social Science and Celtic Studies, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland;Lero, SFI Centre for Software Research, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland;School of Education, Faculty of Education and Health Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland;School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland;

关键词: STEM;    outreach;    high-altitude balloons;    education;    STEMM;   

DOI  :  10.3389/feduc.2023.1145043

 received in 2023-01-15, accepted in 2023-08-28,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

IntroductionIntegrated STEM education makes learning relevant and applicable, blending the mindset, skillset, and toolset necessary in developing a depth of understanding for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.MethodsBased on the theoretical framework of Kelley and Knowles the ‘Spaceship Earth’ project was designed to engage primary school children in 4th class (ages 9 and 10 years old) in real-world project-based experiments in the classroom that are used to develop collaborative problem-solving skills and a framework for asking and answering scientific questions. This project involved researchers from two Universities and the Irish National Meteorological Service working collaboratively on a high-altitude balloon mission.ResultsHigh-altitude balloons have an established track record of safe and effective use in weather forecasting, astronomy, and STEM outreach. During the project lifecycle the children devised experiments that they launched to the stratosphere using the high-altitude balloons. Once the experiments returned to Earth, the children engaged in analysis and discussion about their experiments that extended and deepened their learning.DiscussionThis celestial project framework represents a new dawn of innovation for STEM education and public engagement.

【 授权许可】

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Copyright © 2023 Connolly, Johnson, Johnson, Fitzpatrick and O’Keeffe.