What is JASON

What is JASON? Creating the ‘Spark’ To Engage Students in Science JASON’s theory of science education is based on lighting the spark of inspiration through sustained connections with “great explorers and great events” in core curriculum. The result is deeper student engagement, increased motivation and higher achievement. Join the Argonaut Adventure... “When working with Anthony Guillory and the Aerosonde, our team came away with these weather truths: The closer you are to the [storm], the more accurate the forecast; the more sophisticated the weather instruments, the more accurate the weather forecast!” —Neil Muir Student Argonaut, NASA Mission “Our Argo team, including Jason Dunion, got to try to forecast a storm as the Air Force was ying into it. WOW! We concluded it was . . . a tropical depression! We were right. A couple of hours after the storm the National Hurricane Center reported the same thing.” —Matthew Worsham Student Argonaut, NOAA Mission “Shirley Murillo is one of the top female hurricane researchers in the world and we got to work with her.” —Cassandra Santamaria Student Argonaut, NOAA Mission The JASON Project Operation: MONSTER STORMS Two well-known, factual examples illustrate the power of great explorers and great events to create this spark. Many other exciting Operation: Monster Storms resources are here for you, including video clips, photo galleries, and the new Digital Labs Storm Planner and Storm Tracker. Strap into these interactive simulations on your own, or with other student players, and take the challenge of tracking and confronting real monster weather. Participate on message boards and in real-time chat events with JASON researchers and others. Keep your own JASON Journal online as you complete your Monster Storms missions, and explore links to many other useful and exciting resources on the Web. Explore Online in the JASON Mission Center... …begin your Mission at www.jason.org ISBN 978-0-9787574-0-3 JASON Mission Center The JASON Project, a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Geographic Society, connects students with great explorers and great events to inspire and motivate them to learn science. JASON embeds the cutting-edge research of its partners – National Geographic Society, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) – into core science curricula and professional development. Leading scientists work side by side with JASON students in the classroom and in an online global community, challenging them to apply their knowledge to the same real-world scenarios the scientists face every day. We have found that students approach science and scientific investigation with personal dedication when they connect with charismatic explorers and compelling, real-world events. The first was the October 1957 sighting of Sputnik by Homer Hickam, a West Virginia schoolboy whose future as a coal miner was preordained until he saw the satellite. Transformed, Hickam struck up a correspondence with scientist Werner von Braun, learned the requisite science and math virtually on his own, and overcame great obstacles on his path to becoming a NASA engineer. Final_Cover_Phase_2-r2.indd 1 5/16/07 2:57:34 PM www.jason.org Education through Exploration A similar spark was lighted nearly 30 years later, when Dr. Robert Ballard’s discovery of RMS Titanic generated 16,000 letters from students asking to join his next expedition. Understanding the power of the spark, Ballard wrote back to many of them and then founded JASON in 1989. Dr. Robert Ballard Dr. Ballard founded The JASON Project in 1989 after receiving thousands of letters from young students inspired by his discovery of the RMS Titanic. Today, he is chairman of JASON’s Board of Trustees and Explorer-inResidence at National Geographic Society. These two episodes capture what I call “the October Sky Phenomenon” because Sputnik’s remarkable impact on Homer’s life carries a set of principles that can be applied to education. For Homer, the spark – the event itself, the mentorship – was completely random. If we can plainly see what excites and engages students, why not use this approach in core curriculum? With National Geographic Society as our steward and NASA and NOAA as our partners, we can expose students to an endless supply of great explorers and great events, systematically and on-demand. Best Science Instructional Solution Best Online Instructional Solution Caleb M. Schutz President, The JASON Project Excerpt from: Education through Exploration: A New Theory in Teaching and Learning Science (Winter 2008) Education through Exploration • www.jason.org JASON Core Curriculum - Free Online JASON Core Curriculum Available in print and online editions, JASON’s weather and ecology units are designed to fit within school districts’ core curriculum for 5th-9th grades and can be adapted for use at higher or lower levels. Each unit is aligned to national and state science standards and provides at least five to nine weeks of material with suggested lesson plans, extensions, interdisciplinary connections and other teacher resources. JASON’s weather unit, Operation: Monster Storms, transports students to the center of Earth’s most extreme weather events as they learn the science needed to save lives and protect property. Operation: Resilient Planet, scheduled for release in Summer 2008, will take students to Earth’s critical ecosystems to learn ecosystem management by taking on the roles of researchers and policymakers, understand pressures from human-induced changes and recognize their responsibility for defending biodiversity. Digital Library – Teachers and students can search for JASON resources by subject, state standards, resource type and other criteria. Videos – On-demand footage brings students into the action with leading researchers who illustrate and explain the science concepts. 3-D Interactive Games and Digital Labs – Exciting new interactive computer games place students in real-life situations in which they use actual scientific data to learn complex ideas and relationships. Online Community – Web casts and podcasts feature “breaking” science news and topics in depth to keep the curriculum alive. Teachers and students access moderated message boards for lively discussions, user-to-user communication and interaction with scientists featured in the curriculum. Teacher Resources The JASON Mission Center includes state-of-the-art resources for educators to manage, assess and track student performance. Lesson Builder and Assignment Manager – Teachers can use JASON’s pre-designed lesson plans or create and save their own to share with others. Lessons can be assigned and completed online so educators can monitor student progress, receive alerts when work is handed in, review and comment on assignments and provide immediate online feedback. Assessment Builder – Allows teachers to conduct pre- and post-assessments to measure student performance on any facet of the curriculum, choosing from JASON’s library of assessment questions or customizing it with questions that reflect local standards. Tests may be administered online or in print. Alignments – This database is prepopulated with National Science Education Standards and the standards of such states as California, Texas, Florida, New York, Ohio, Alaska, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, JASON curriculum units speak the language of students today, bringing compelling science and scientists to life in videos, podcasts and Web casts, live chat sessions and interactive computer games – all integrated into the scope and sequence of a four-color print Student Edition and two-color Teacher Edition. JASON also speaks the language of teachers and administrators through comprehensive tools for alignment, assessment and classroom management. Missouri, Nevada, Rhode Island and Virginia. Standards from other states and local frameworks are readily imported. Online Reporting – Teachers and administrators can generate customized reports showing JASON’s impact on classroom learning. Argonaut Program JASON Mission Center Like NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston, the JASON Mission Center is the hub for exploration. It contains all the student and teacher content, communications systems, digital experiences and other resources for Operation: Monster Storms and, beginning Summer 2008, Operation: Resilient Planet. JASON Mission Center resources include: FREE Online Curriculum – The complete student and teacher editions are available. Links, videos and images come alive with the click of a mouse, and additional resources such as student journals and message boards are included. Print versions of the Student and Teacher editions, with videos in DVD or VHS formats, are available for purchase. All JASON students and teachers are “Argonauts,” named for the crew that sailed aboard the Argo with Jason, the mythological Greek explorer. Every year, JASON selects National Student and Teacher Argonauts from around the world to conduct fieldwork with host researchers, become part of the curriculum and serve as mentors and role models. Argonaut Challenge – Students create and upload digital science content for global peer review. Professional Development JASON’s comprehensive program is designed to create highly qualified science teachers by increasing their knowledge of core science content and pedagogy, and preparing them to use JASON curriculum in their classrooms. Throughout the year, JASON offers accredited, online graduate courses and onsite or online curriculum training. Education through Exploration • www.jason.org