Challenger Experience
An adventure at the Challenger Learning Center is not just a field trip. Rather, it is an exceptional educational opportunity for students to see themselves in successful roles as scientists, engineers, and researchers. Located inside the Museum, the CLC of Connecticut is a technology-packed, interactive learning environment that immerses students and teachers in a unique space simulation. There are three main components that make up a Challenger Learning Center experience:

Teacher Preparation: Teachers participate in a half-day in-service training program during which they participate in an actual mission and receive preparatory materials for classroom use before their scheduled class visit. These materials are specially designed to prepare the students for their mission and include skill-building activities in the areas of teamwork and communication. Additionally, teachers receive materials to help the students understand the thematic topic of their mission. Back at the classroom, teachers have the students fill out job applications and each student is assigned to one of the eight teams that comprise the crew. Students prepare for the mission as well as their individual job assignments, just like the astronauts in NASA.

 

The Mission: When students arrive at a Challenger Learning Center, a short briefing is held in which the Mission Commanders and the student astronauts review their mission objectives. The group is then divided, so that the Mission Controllers can take their stations and the astronauts "blast off" to the Space Station. Throughout the two hour mission, students are presented with tasks and realistic dilemmas that build problem solving, critical thinking, and communication skills. Halfway through, the mission requires a crew exchange so everyone has an opportunity to experience both Mission Control and the Space Station.

Post-Visit Activities: Even though the mission may be over, the learning goes on! Once the students have returned to school there are specific activities designed to help extend the experience, such as further analysis and discussion on the data gathered during the mission, post-flight briefings conducted by and for the students, as well as student-run news conferences, all of which help to transfer what they have learned back to their classroom.

The Details: The Challenger Learning Center experience is ideal for students in grades 4-8. Each mission is comprised of a crew having a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 36 participants, not including 2 to 4 adults. School missions may be run twice each day: 9:00-11:00 am and 12:00-2:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Missions will also be run after school hours upon request for other groups such as youth groups, scout groups, etc. The cost of each mission includes teacher training, pre- and post-visit materials, admission to the museum, and the mission itself.

For more information, please contact
David Mestre at 203.372.3521 Ext. 118