by Dave Weiman
More and more communities are realizing the educational benefits of having an “airliner” parked on the ramp at their local airport to increase student proficiency in Science, Technology, Engineering, Aerospace, and Mathematics (STEAM). A Boeing 727 has been parked at St. Paul Downtown Airport (KSTP), thanks to the generosity of FedEx, which retired the cargo jet aircraft. “The Learning Jet,” a project geared towards fostering STEM subjects at PreK-12 schools, is targeted towards reaching girls and minority students, because these groups have traditionally been excluded from STEM careers. The project is an initiative of the Minnesota Association of Women In Aviation (MnAWA), which completely remodeled the cabin of the aircraft into an enticing, interactive classroom.
The Learning Jet is a multi-modal transportation curriculum to help Minnesota students succeed in school, mobilize future talent for aviation, and cultivate a workforce that is prepared to meet the transportation challenges of the future. The project is also intended to encourage Minnesota schoolteachers to implement transportation lessons and activities in their classrooms.
The project creates a standards-based PreK-12 curriculum covering the six modes of transportation – aeronautics, freight, highways/traffic, rail, waterways, and bike/pedestrian.
Students who are already inclined towards math and science can be drawn to the civil engineering aspect of the program. Students who may be interested in STEM subjects, but are not because of historical social stereotypes in which girls are not good at math, or being a computer geek is not cool, can become engaged through The Learning Jet curriculum.
Using these six modes of transportation, The Learning Jet curriculum covers technologies, such as structures and materials, propulsion, suspension, as well as guidance, control, and support systems; system processes, including inputs to transportation systems models, processes and resources, outputs and impacts, and feedback systems; social and political aspects, such as 14 decision-making models for transportation, political, economic, environmental, and social/technical influences; and design briefs and activities.
In addition to STEM education, learning activities are structured to empower students’ capabilities as problem-solvers and team players.
Elements of the curriculum include pre-lessons for teachers; learning goals for each transportation mode; lessons for primary grades (PreK-3), intermediate grades (4-6), middle school grades (7-9), and high school grades (10-12); follow-up lessons (for later classroom use); and activities for the lessons.
Minnesota teachers will be able to access the transportation curriculum online. They can use the curriculum in conjunction with visits to The Learning Jet.
Teachers schedule their class for a half-day or full-day program, and they can request the program cover particular STEM topics, a specific form of transportation their students are studying, or even a certain lesson the teacher has identified by searching the curriculum online. The day’s activities are then tailored to meet these needs.
A big plus for The Learning Jet is the atmosphere of having the classroom in a jet airliner, rather than a traditional setting with four walls and a blackboard. This unique atmosphere establishes a mindset for learning the very subjects being taught.
The Minnesota Association of Women in Aviation is an organization established exclusively for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes under IRS Code 501(c)(3).
For additional information, visit http://mnawa.org/news/ and follow the project on Facebook and Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/LearningJet https://twitter.com/mnwomenaviation
