Maine Discovery Museum hosts preview event for new Science Teacher Academy program

Maine Discovery Museum hosts preview event for new Science Teacher Academy program with guest speaker from NASA BANGOR- On Friday, November 18th, Maine Discovery Museum (MDM) will partner with Challenger Learning Center to host Dr. Buckner from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center for a free day of professional development for Maine elementary teachers. This event is a preview of MDM’s new Science Teacher Academy program (STA) and is open to both in-service teachers and pre-service education students. Teachers will engage in hands-on exploration of space science topics and learn about national resources from NASA and local resources at the Challenger Learning Center in Bangor, where the event will take place. Kim Stewart, Director of the Science Teacher Academy, explains, "We are very excited to co-create the STA with teachers, hearing directly from them what kinds of [professional development] they are looking for to feel more confident teaching science through authentic hands-on learning experiences. This preview event gives teachers an opportunity to experience the type of professional development the STA will offer and give us feedback to develop the best possible program." Event schedule: 8 am-12 pm: Session with Dr. Buckner, Educator Professional Development Specialist for NASA Goddard Space Flight Center 12-12:45 pm: working lunch 12:45-2 pm: Challenger Learning Center exploration lab 2-3 pm: Wrap up and focus group discussion Maine Discovery Museum’s STA is a program supported by Congressionally Directed Spending and is being developed to address the gap in professional development opportunities available for elementary school teachers to more effectively and confidently teach science. The STA will partner with teachers, administrators, schools of education, museums, and other informal science organizations to greatly expand the science taught in Maine schools and better prepare those teachers in science teaching.  Teachers can visit https://www.scienceteacheracademy.org/ to learn more and register for the event. Questions can be directed to Kim Stewart, Science Teacher Academy Director, at kstewart@mainediscoverymuseum.org or 207.262.7200. ### ABOUT MAINE DISCOVERY MUSEUM The Maine Discovery Museum helps people of all ages to discover the world around them through creative exploration and science.