Progress 3/4/10

Got the Purchase Orders today - they were sent our yesterday. End of next week might be the delivery dates.

NSTA, AAPT, and PSTA have all gone through, though I only received actual emails from AAPT and PSTA. Still waiting on IPS and MAPS.

Current Status

Purchase Orders and order forms are submitted
Waiting for Board Approval

Proposal Summary

What are my goals for this grant?

1. Establish and enhance the Pequea Valley planetarium's public outreach program
   
2. Fund my research into planetariums for my Masters Degree
3. Pay off the rest of Masters Degree tuition
   
4. Fund my membership in professional teaching and planetarium organizations

What is the purpose of this blog? To maintain a log of progress as a report to Dickinson College.

Grant Proposal

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My overarching mission in teaching is to get students to become intelligent and engaged citizens in their communities and the world around them, using astronomy and environmental sustainability as focal points and spring boards. I do this currently in my classroom by providing hands-on and inquiry based learning for all of my students while concurrently incorporating newer technologies such as blogs, wikis, and laboratory devices. Through teaching in these ways in an astrophysics and atmospheric physics course as well as a sustainability course, I have become very interested in astronomy, environmentalism, and the links between the two. I am currently making improvements to the astronomy and planetarium programs while advising a new environmental club at my high school. I want to be able to be more effective in achieving my previously stated teaching mission by implementing the projects below. Hence, in support of my teaching mission, I offer this proposal for the $10,000 Teachers For Tomorrow grant.

Completion of Masters Degree Program and Research

Currently, I have amassed 21 credits toward this degree and plan to graduate with 30 credits and a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus in Science Education in the fall of 2010. This degree from the Great Valley campus of Pennsylvania State University will allow me to learn and use more effective methods of science education in my classroom as well as keep the door open for future science curriculum leadership positions.

As part of the program, I will be conducting original research about factors that influence the success or failure of school-associated planetariums. This research will allow me to perform my duties as the Planetarium Director at my school more effectively and contribute to the little researched area of school-associated planetariums.

Pequea Valley will cover $515.33 of each credit I earn. The tuition for each credit is $640 until Fall 2010, where it will likely increase again.

Memberships in professional organizations

Professional organizations, such as the American Association of Physics Teachers, the National and Pennsylvania Science Teachers Associations, and other planetarium societies, provide support for my teaching mission by publishing periodicals on topics pertaining to my classroom, creating communities of like-minded individuals that have already proven valuable in my short tenure, and holding conferences where I can collaborate with other educators and vendors. Memberships in these organizations are not covered by my school district; hence I would like to propose yearly or lifetime memberships as part of this grant. In particular, I request a lifetime membership to the Pennsylvania Science Teachers Association ($400). I request memberships to the International Planetarium Society, Mid-Atlantic Planetarium Society, National Science Teachers Association, and American Association of Physics Teachers on a yearly basis ($243/year) until funding runs out.

Materials for astronomy night labs and public outreach

In my Astrophysics classes, I conduct lessons that encourage students to see the practical aspects of astronomy and notice the patterns in the sky and reasons for them through practical investigations and planetarium presentations. I would like to increase the laboratory activity capabilities of my classroom by purchasing telescope and astrophotography equipment for night labs. Purchase of this equipment would also help me achieve my goal of expanding the planetarium’s programs of including star parties and planetarium shows open to the public each year in the fall and the spring starting immediately. These star parties, assisted by the environmental club, will also include portions on light pollution and the effect of energy use on astronomy and global warming. This will allow more students and visitors to experience the night sky in new ways and encourage the appreciation of the night sky in more people.

This equipment will also allow any future independent study students who have an interest in advanced astronomy or astrophotography to study these topics in practical detail. These materials will help me accomplish my goal of getting students (and the public) engaged in the world around them by helping them learn the curriculum while gaining an understanding of and appreciation for the universe and world they live in through active investigation.

Thank you for considering this proposal and for the opportunity to enhance my teaching abilities and outreach capabilities. I am truly honored to be a part of this program.