Modeling the Universe: Professional Development for Teachers Designed by NASA's Universe Forum Education and Outreach Program

We have developed a targeted set of activities, presentations, and assessments that immerse teachers in learning about two key themes from the National Science Education Standards: origin and evolution of the universe, and the unifying concept of models, evidence, and explanation in science. Students of all ages come to the astronomy classroom with their own ideas and internal models of how the universe works. Our strategy for addressing these prior notions is to elicit ideas up front, prompt a discussion of the nature of models in astronomy, and then illustrate how models change as new evidence and ideas are brought to bear. Our "Modeling the Universe" investigations provide a context and motivation for learning about NASA's Structure and Evolution of the Universe space science missions as tools for testing astronomical models and theories. This poster will outline the educational materials and resources we have developed, and will demonstrate how these can be adapted or enhanced in various classroom environments. Visit the "Modeling the Universe" website at http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/seuforum/mtu/

"Modeling the Universe" is supported by NASA's Universe Education Forum, Chandra, CHIPS, GLAST, GP-B, HEASARC, HETE, Swift, XMM and WMAP Mission E/PO programs.