Every Child a Knowledge Explorer\
NASA 21^st^ Century Learning Mission

A White Paper by *Bernie Trilling*, Director, Technology In Education,
WestEd

and *Dr.* *Eugene Mizusawa*, Teacher, Athenian School, and\
NASA Learning Technologies

# PART ONE -- SETTING THE STAGE

When the Wright Brothers were going to make the first flight, there was
no flight school to prepare them. There was nobody to teach them to fly.
They just launched their plane and figured out how to fly it after they
were on it.

We are in the early stages of flight with technology in education.
Pilots in the early stages of flight crashed a lot of planes, but they
also discovered the principles of flight. They came together in learning
communities where they could share their experiences and knowledge about
what works and what doesn't. They developed and evolved principles that
make modern flight possible today, including the space program.

That kind of learning opportunity is available to us in our schools
today.

Thomas Carroll\
U.S. Department of Education

Could the Wright Brothers enter today's Space Shuttle and take control?
Could a doctor from the 1800s step into a high-tech surgery room today
and perform a laparoscopic surgery? The answers are obvious -- NO and
NO.

But if a teacher from the 1800s walked into a classroom today, could she
or he substitute as a teacher? Embarrassingly, the answer most likely is
YES!

As Tom Carroll goes on to comment (Carroll, 2000), either "the educators
of the 1800s were able to anticipate the needs of the 21^st^ century and
designed a system that perfectly fits our educational purposes today,"
or, "this system of factory era schooling does not meet the needs of
today's learners and the demands of our information age economy . . .
Our industrial era schools have not changed to keep pace with our
current understanding of cognition and learning."

As educational technologist Seymour Papert (Papert 1996) asked, if "the
changes in education over the last 100 years had been as dramatic as the
changes in medicine over that time, what would our schools look like
today?"

This white paper proposes an answer to this question with a vision for
NASA's new education mission:

-   A mission as strategic and bold as landing a man on the moon

-   A mission as technically and humanly complex as NASA's missions of
    interplanetary exploration

-   A mission that only NASA would dream of tackling

-   A mission to "inspire the next generation of explorers . . . as only
    NASA can"

The heart of this mission is the children of our home planet. The
challenge is to offer the best of our research, technology, learning
methods, and inspirational leadership to prepare each and every one of
our children for a lifetime of learning in our new knowledge society.

## The mission in brief -- Every Child A Knowledge Explorer

**PART ONE** of this paper sets the stage for the mission. To understand
the urgent need for this mission, we must take a closer look at the role
of learning and knowledge in our age and the new conditions and
requirements needed for 21^st^ Century learning -- the needed *skills*,
the modern *theories* of learning, the *knowledge* most valuable to our
times, and the kinds of learning *methods* and *support systems* that
will bring learning into the 21^st^ Century.

**PART TWO** outlines the components of a proposed NASA Knowledge
Explorer mission showing how all the parts of this mission could work
together to pioneer a 21^st^ Century learning program consistent with
the research and principles summarized in PART ONE. The proposed
education mission represents a bold leap forward that leverages NASA's
unique strengths to help all children become successful 21^st^ Century
Knowledge Explorers.

## Learning in the 21^st^ Century

Imagine you have a young child or grandchild entering school for the
first time this year. Twenty years or so from now when your child
graduates,

-   What will the world be like then?

-   What will your child need to know, value and be able to do to be
    successful in that world?

-   What conditions should be present to maximize learning throughout
    your child's life?

-   What should "schooling" become to ensure that your child is a
    successful and fulfilled person in the world of tomorrow?

Our world has changed immeasurably since the 1800s. And as the rate of
technological and cultural change increases, more change will occur in
the next twenty years than it has in the last fifty. We've gone from an
Industrial Age powered by machinery, manufacturing and products to an
Information and Knowledge Age powered by knowledge, expertise,
creativity and service.

![](media/image1.wmf)

*Learning and knowledge* have become the centerpieces of our time and
the royal roads to a productive and satisfying life. No longer can one
earn a good living from manual work or from non-technical repetitive
tasks that involve little thought. The Knowledge Age demands skills
beyond the traditional "3Rs" of Reading, 'Riting and 'Rithmetic
(spelling included!).

## 21^st^ Century Skills

What are these 21^st^ Century, Knowledge Age skills, the mastering of
which will help ensure success in the future? They have been dubbed the
"7Cs" beyond the 3Rs (Trilling & Hood, 1999).

![](media/image2.wmf)

These seven clusters of 21^st^ Century skills (for an in-depth
research-based analysis and summary of all these skills see
http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/skills/skills.htm), along with the even
more crucial, basic 3Rs, can be considered the "new basics" -- the new
formula for success and achievement in our times:

***3Rs X 7Cs = 21^st^ Century Skills***

Attaining both these sets of skills will comprise the new, expanded
definition of student achievement, and the measurement and testing of
the full range of these skills will be the new goal of our
accountability efforts in education.

In addition to needing new skills, we now live in a highly
technological, science-based world where basic science, math and
technology literacy has become a cornerstone for an informed citizenry
participating in democratic decision-making.

We also have the most diverse society in history. This can be a source
of great conflict or a source of great creativity and strength, if this
wealth of perspectives and backgrounds can be effectively applied to
solving our ever more complex problems.

In short, things have changed dramatically. Our schools and education
system were *designed for an age that has just passed*. Though highly
effective for the previous Industrial age, and still effective for some
of the old demands that persist in our times, our world now requires
inventing a new approach to preparing our children for the future that
will be their home (Senge, 2000).

Looking at the 7Cs chart above and thinking about NASA's strengths in
science exploration, technological innovation, and the managing of
enormous missions with diverse teams of experts collaborating,
communicating and solving complex, critical problems, it becomes clear
how much NASA has to offer our times and our 21^st^ Century learners.

But now we must ask, "what have we learned about learning and cognition
-- how each one of us acquires knowledge and expertise -- that might
guide NASA's efforts in designing effective learning activities, methods
and tools for the 21^st^ Century?"

## 21^st^ Century Learning Theory

Educators, developmental and cognitive psychologists,
neuropsychologists, learning and instructional theorists, sociologists,
academic researchers, and others have made a great deal of progress in
the last three decades toward understanding the nature of learning
(Bransford, Brown, Cocking, Bransford, eds., 2000; Donovan, Bransford,
Pellegrino, eds., 1999).

![](media/image3.wmf)Some of these key new insights from research into
how people learn can be very briefly summarized with the "5Cs" of modern
learning theory:

*Context* is really "king" when it comes to learning. We now know that
the environment surrounding the learning -- the setting, the people
involved, the objects, symbols and all their relationships -- have much
more influence than previously thought. When this environment is
"authentic," or the real life setting where this learning normally
occurs, learning, memory, understanding and knowledge retention
increases (Armstrong & Chen, eds. 2002). We also know that it is very
difficult to transfer what's learned in one setting to another (e.g.
what's learned in math class to a social studies class or to the
supermarket). Learning in a natural or authentic context where the
knowledge gained will be in the same context where that knowledge will
be applied has become an important component of effective learning
designs.

*Construction* refers to the mental models we create in our minds to
help us understand our world. Researchers have observed how experiences
that "fit" our inner models are easily assimilated and reinforce the
current state of our understanding. Experiences that cannot be easily
explained by our mental models force us to alter the model and
accommodate new variations, or even build entirely new mental models. We
are constantly refining our models as we go about interacting in the
world and trying to make sense of it. Being able to visualize or
physically "play" with representations of our mental models (e.g.
concept mapping; dynamic models; virtual interactive, immersive computer
simulations, or physical LEGO constructions) has proven to help move
this constructive, model making and learning process along (Papert
1994).

*Caring* is an essential part of learning. In fact, our emotional
involvement in the content and context of learning is proving to be a
major influence on the outcome of our learning experiences (Covington,
1998; Goleman 1997, 2000). Motivation, especially intrinsic motivation,
and personal commitment are key factors in maintaining concentration,
sustaining engagement and deepening the quality and retention of
knowledge. Self-motivated challenges, problems, questions or missions
can move all kinds of diverse learners to new learning heights and to
even becoming committed, lifelong learners.

*Competence* comes in many flavors. Traditional definitions of
achievement or "aptitude" have focused on a fairly narrow range of skill
sets, mostly linguistic, memory-based, and logic-oriented. As many
researchers have shown (Gardner 1993a, 1993b, 1998; Levine 2002)
intelligence is exhibited in a wide range of behaviors and expressions,
from visual to musical to kinesthetic to interpersonal and beyond. We
now know that to "leave no child behind" we must create multi-sensory,
multi-modal, and multi-disciplinary learning experiences that can be
adapted and personalized for each child's unique needs, strengths and
weaknesses. We must attempt to reach "all kinds of minds" in designing
our learning tools and methods.

*Community* refers to one of the most powerful of the current findings
in learning theory. We are all social learners that learn best from
others that share our interests and passions (Vygotsky, 1980; Lave &
Wenger, 1991; Wenger 1999). These formal and informal "communities of
practice" share more than just a common focus of interest -- in their
collective knowledge and experience, they define what it is to "be" in a
career -- an astrophysicist or a lawyer or teacher. They share certain
ways of looking at the world, certain methods of researching and
exploring questions and problems, the kinds of publications they read,
etc. And as the problems and questions we pursue become more and more
complex, more diverse teams of people from different knowledge
communities must work together in new learning communities focused on
common challenges and missions.

Looking at these 5Cs of modern learning theory and thinking about NASA's
unique strengths -- highly *self-motivated* and *caring* scientists and
engineers coming from widely *diverse backgrounds* and *areas of
competence* all working in *learning communities* to carry out
*missions* with *authentic problem solving* using highly detailed
*virtual and physical models* applied to *real world contexts* -- we can
see that NASA offers a best practice model for the everyday application
of modern research-based learning theory. Imagine how much NASA can
contribute to helping new generations of learners apply these principles
and practices to their own learning.

## 21^st^ Century Knowledge

Science, engineering and technology have given us powerful tools and
methods for exploring and generating new knowledge, learning how our
world works, and applying that knowledge to solving problems in our
society. In many ways, science and technology are the engines of our new
Knowledge Age, generating the knowledge that can create entire new
industries like telecommunications and bioengineering.

The following diagram outlines how the goals and methods of science and
engineering differ, and how they work hand-in-hand in the pursuit of
knowledge and a better world (adapted from Bybee et.al., 1989).

![](media/image4.png)

The pursuit of knowledge in science is driven by *questions*; in
engineering it is driven by *problems*. The methods of science ensure
that the knowledge gained in these pursuits is validated by others in
their respective communities of practice, and that the results of these
explorations are widely disseminated. The results of pursuits in
engineering and technology are more easily validated -- they work or
they don't, or they create new problems to be solved along the way.
Often these technical solutions generate new questions for science,
which in turn create new answers that provide opportunities to solve
technological problems in new ways -- and on and on the process goes.

Once again NASA is in the forefront of knowledge exploration in both
science and engineering and is held up as the place where the real
"rocket scientists and engineers" of our age work -- NASA personnel are
seen as being able to tackle the most intractable problems and are among
the world leaders in pushing the limits of our understanding and
ingenuity.

## 21^st^ Century Learning Methods

One learning method that incorporates both the question and problem
approaches of science and technology, as well as much of what research
tells us about learning, is the Challenge Learning Module (adapted from
Bransford, in Schwartz et al. 1999).

![](media/image5.png)

The initial *Challenge* may be a problem to solve or a question to
answer. Since everyone brings different experiences and mental models to
the table, the *Initial Thoughts* stage puts these backgrounds on the
table to share with the rest of the challenge team.

From there, team members go forth and *Research* all the areas relevant
to their problem or question, finding as many *Perspectives* as they can
that might be helpful.

In the *Self-Assessment* stage, each individual takes stock of what they
now know compared to learning standards, and will need to know to help
formulate a solution or answer. This launches a variety of learning
projects for each team member, and the fruits of their knowledge
explorations are brought back to the team to enrich the developing
solution or answer.

The final team-based solution is constructed, or an answer to the
original question is crafted, and each team *Presents* their *Findings*
to the others for review.

Often so much is learned in traversing the Challenge Learning loop that
a second trip through the cycle is made. This time the challenge, the
research and the learning is deepened and refined and the solution or
answers that result are often much more accurate, thorough, powerful,
elegant and useful.

A series of these challenge modules can lead up to a major mission-like
challenge where all that has been learned through the challenge series
will be applied to carrying out a "super-challenge" (an example of this
would be a series of mechanical and electronic design challenges leading
up to a major robotics super-challenge like the ones in the FIRST
Robotics program).

This learning method is a refinement of highly successful learning
designs developed at the Learning Sciences Institute at Vanderbilt
University. It is based entirely on scientific research, integrating the
most effective uses of technology, and has been the basis for such
highly effective learning products as the Adventures of Jasper Woodbury
series and the Little Planet Literacy series (LSI,
<http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/ctrs/lsi/products.htm>).

When these challenges are aligned to the educational content standards,
it is often found that multiple standards across a number of subject
areas (science, math, technology and social studies for instance) are
covered by a single challenge, providing an engaging, memorable and
efficient method of learning a broad set of content standards.

In many ways, the Challenge Learning method is a team form of scientific
research and technological innovation, very much like the highly
motivated work that goes on everyday on NASA missions and projects.

## 21^st^ Century Learning Support System

What does it take to support the Challenge Learning method outlined
above as well as the other components of 21^st^ Century learning -- the
kinds of *skills*, *theory*, and *knowledge* appropriate for our times?

The best of modern learning support systems, that also effectively use
technology to promote meaningful learning, have four common
characteristics. They provide 24-7 access to world-class:

1.  ***Personalized Learning Experiences*** - Online and face-to-face
    courses that combine the best of virtual and visceral learning from
    inspirational teachers

2.  ***Tutors, Mentors and Guides*** -- Trained in facilitation and
    guidance, with strong knowledge in the relevant subject or topic

3.  ***Personalized Assessments, Feedback and Portfolios of Work*** --
    with a rich variety of tools including standards-based normed and
    criterion referenced tests, pre- and post- mastery and competency
    assessments, portfolios with rubrics, etc.

4.  ***Interactive Learning Tools*** -- that use technology effectively
    and support both instructional and constructional learning

> ***Instructional Tools*** -- that support the learning of facts and
> principles like online multimedia encyclopedias and references
>
> ***Constructional Tools*** -- that support active inquiry,
> exploration, discovery, problem-solving, design, invention and
> project/challenge/mission support, including online libraries of
> interactive immersive simulations, electronic project journals, and
> toolkits for data analysis, physical design, project management, etc.

The NASA Learning Technologies group has made a significant investment
in building a variety of constructional tools for learning, including
simulations and online exploration tools.

NASA's network of world-class, inspirational teachers of science, math
and technology could be leveraged to develop online and face-to-face
courses that can inspire learners to careers in science and technology.
NASA's large base of both active and retired scientists and engineers
are a natural source of learning tutors, mentors and guides.

Much work has already been done at educational laboratories like WestEd
to develop new ways of assessing learning that incorporate the various
content standards, 21^st^ Century skills, performance and mastery
measures, and portfolio rating systems. NASA can adopt the best of these
tools and support the development of embedded assessments as part of the
learning activities it develops or adopts from its partners.

NASA can also take the lead in developing its web resources to become
true learning tools and learning libraries of standards-based learning
objects and courses.

A more detailed framework for developing and implementing a world-class
learning support system at NASA will be outlined in PART TWO. This
framework will demonstrate how 21^st^ Century learning *skills*,
*theory*, *knowledge*, *methods* and *support systems* can all come
together in an integrated, research-based design for helping all
children become true 21^st^ Century Knowledge Explorers.

#  PART TWO -- A NASA 21ST CENTURY 

## LEARNING MISSION

The greatest mission this Agency has ever accepted is helping to open
the mind of a child to unimagined possibilities.

Sean O'Keefe

NASA Administrator

From the evidence presented in PART ONE, we know that inventing a 21^st^
Century Knowledge Explorer Learning system and a national network of
Knowledge Explorer learning communities will be a pioneering challenge,
worthy of a NASA mission.

Many of the pieces that support the Challenge and Knowledge Explorer
ways of learning and teaching are available today -- they have to be
identified, analyzed, adopted, further developed, and adapted to fit
into a new NASA integrated learning program. Some of the missing pieces
will have to be innovated from scratch. Almost all the parts will need
some work to fit them into an overall framework and have them be
interoperable with other components. And many pieces of the new learning
system will have to be modified over time as learners, teachers,
parents, and leaders gain experience in this new way of learning and
provide valuable feedback for improvement.

The diagrams on the following two pages outline the "big picture"
roadmaps of the components of a possible NASA 21^st^ Century Learning
Mission.

The first diagram is the "Mission Map" that illustrates all the major
program parts and how they work together. The second diagram shows the
operational framework and infrastructure that could be created to build
and sustain all the learning system components.

The following two sections of this paper describe and explain the
elements of these two system diagrams. The emphasis in these sections is
not on fine-grained detail and comprehensiveness; it is on painting a
high-level vision of what it could take to launch and sustain a NASA
mission to pioneer the future of education.

A third section is devoted to the important issue of the professional
development of teachers and education leaders. The final section
discusses the possible "return on investment" this proposed Learning
Mission would have for NASA, for all educators and learners, and for our
country.

## A Knowledge Explorer Framework

It is no exaggeration to say that NASA is home to the world's leading
experts on technology-enhanced, challenge- and mission-based learning.
NASA has led the most unique missions in the world, from traveling to
low-Earth orbit and walking on the Moon, to viewing the farthest reaches
of our solar system. NASA has freely shared what has been learned on
these adventures of discovery with students, teachers and schools
throughout our country and beyond.

NASA's new challenge is to not only share the rich *content* of what it
has learned from its missions, but to also help all learners acquire the
mission-based *processes* and *methods* of *learning,* *exploration,
discovery* and *innovation* that NASA knows best.

The very skills, knowledge and values that each and every NASA employee
must exercise each day in his or her job:

-   *self-motivation,* *caring* and high levels of *competence* in areas
    such as math, science, geography, engineering and technology*;*

-   *critical thinking* and *authentic problem solving* using highly
    detailed *virtual and physical models* applied to *real world
    contexts;*

-   *teamwork* with people of *diverse backgrounds* and areas of
    *competence* all working in *learning communities*;

-   the ability to *communicate* often complex information quickly and
    clearly to diverse audiences;

-   tackling the most difficult and complex *challenges* and *missions*
    with *creativity* and *innovation* and an unswerving commitment to
    *leadership* and rigorous *project and time management*;

-   and most importantly, the ability to *learn* *from both mistakes and
    successes* every day.

These are the very same skills, knowledge and values that each and every
child must learn to be a success in our 21^st^ Century world.

Helping others to learn these lessons will take a new form of
collaboration, where NASA's depth of expertise in innovating technology
tools and systems must be combined with an equal depth of educational
expertise in constructing and applying the learning tools, methods,
skills, knowledge, theory, research and support systems needed to
nurture a new generation of Knowledge Explorers.

This will also take a new Learning Mission structure or framework that
will have the appropriate design and capacity to create the new forms of
immersive learning experiences, interactive curricular materials, design
and experimental tools and equipment, learning environments, student
assessments, teacher training, leadership development and support
systems that can move education into the 21^st^ Century and beyond.

A proposed operational "Knowledge Explorer Framework" designed to meet
this challenge is outlined in the following diagram.

![](media/image1.wmf)

**Learning Challenges from each NASA Enterprise**

The focus of this collaborative framework would be on developing the
kinds of challenge-based learning experiences and activities that will
best prepare our 21^st^ Century learners and teachers for the challenges
of tomorrow.

Using the research-based Challenge Learning Module design outlined in
PART ONE on pages 9 & 10, the goal here would be to create compelling
and rigorous learning challenges, aligned to learning standards across
the curriculum, that parallel the challenges faced in each of NASA's
Enterprises.

Some possible examples of these challenges:

![](media/image2.png){width="1.40625in"
height="0.8229166666666666in"}***Can you design and build an all-purpose
Robotic Assistant for Earth and then design one for Space?***

***Can you design a new research mission to Mars that will answer your
own questions about Mars?***

![](media/image3.png){width="1.40625in" height="0.8229166666666666in"}

> ***Can you design and build a balanced, sustainable
> mini-Biosphere-like living community (greenhouse, pond, plants and
> animals, etc.) that produces nutritionally balanced food for a family
> of four?***
>
> ***Can you simulate one or two aspects of how our earth is changing
> over time using NASA data and then defend a hypothesis as to why you
> think these changes are happening?***

![](media/image4.png){width="1.40625in"
height="0.8229166666666666in"}***Can you bio-engineer a real-time body
monitoring system (temperature, blood pressure, etc.) that could be used
in telemedicine?***

> ***Can you design an experiment for the International Space Station
> that will show how some aspect of the human system is affected by
> micro-gravity?***

![](media/image5.png){width="1.40625in"
height="0.8229166666666666in"}***Can you design and build a safe
personal hovercraft vehicle that can be guided through a maze in a
parking lot?***

> ***Can you design and build an air-pressure-powered rocket that can
> consistently land within a 10-foot diameter circle 100 feet away?***

![](media/image6.png){width="1.40625in" height="0.84375in"}***Can you
build a computer model of the possible history of a planet that could
support life, then define the search criteria for where you might find
such a planet, and then work with astronomers online to search for these
planets?***

> ***Can you research and formulate the strongest arguments, pro and
> con, for Pluto being a comet and not a planet?***

In many ways, these challenges can be seen as further developments of
the design challenges and investigations already underway in the NASA
Student Involvement Program (NSIP) and other NASA projects. The
difference between these existing challenges and the new Knowledge
Explorer challenges lie in the consistent use of the Challenge Learning
Module design, the use of a series of "mini-challenges" to prepare
learners for the "super challenge", and a rich and varied technical and
programmatic infrastructure and learning support system for both
learners and teachers.

The elements of this support system, from both a technology and learning
perspective are outlined next.

## Immersive Learning Tools, Data and Architecture

The presence of technology alone certainly does not guarantee effective
learning. How each learner and each teacher puts that technology to use
for learning and teaching is a crucial part of pioneering a new approach
to 21^st^ Century learning.

The learning tools, methods, curricular materials, student assessments,
online courses, teacher training and support systems will all be as
important, if not more so, than the technology tools used for immersive
learning experiences. Both technology and learning experts must work
closely together to create the new Knowledge Explorer learning system.

The following diagram outlines the variety of learning tools and
approaches, both "virtual" and "visceral", that will be needed, as well
as a proposed unifying learning architecture that will allow these tools
to work together as an integrated, powerful and efficient learning
support system:

![](media/image1.wmf)

## Learning Architecture

At the foundation of the learning system there must be a comprehensive,
international standards-based Knowledge Explorer Learning Objects
Repository (KELOR) or data warehouse. Whether it's thousands of Hubble
photos, fly-through simulations of the surface of Mars, a comprehensive
course on the principles of flight, research studies on using
challenge-based methods for learning, or multiple assessments and
portfolios of students' work, without a standard method of cataloging,
tagging and easily searching for these learning resources or "objects",
access to essential resources will continue to be hit or miss.

This is a Herculean undertaking that is getting underway at NASA in such
efforts as the OneNASA portal and the Earth Sciences JOINed project. The
requirements for metatagging learning objects and resources are above
and beyond what's necessary for information tagging (such as tagging
learning activities for alignment with state and federal content
standards) and will need learning specialists that understand how each
object can best be used in an educational setting.

In addition, this Repository must also include student assessments and
portfolios of work, program evaluations, and the tools for teachers and
administrators to apply this student- and program-related information to
making better instructional decisions and to tracking student
achievement gains.

## Virtual Tools

### Virtual Tools -- Online Portal and Showcase

Tied to the back-end learning architecture outlined above is the
front-end "face" that would appear in your browser -- the online
Knowledge Explorer Learning Portal (KELP) -- that would allow learners,
teachers, parents, administrators and others to get personalized
information, tools, learning experiences and assessments out of the
learning system.

![](media/image2.wmf){width="3.582638888888889in"
height="2.94375in"}Educators like to see first-hand what a given
learning resource is all about; this "show me" orientation can be
accommodated by a multimedia Showcase function as part of the Portal
design -- allowing users to see the tools or resources in action.
WestEd, Digital Concepts and PowerLearning Solutions have teamed to
produce a prototype of this type of interface connected to a back-end,
standards-based learning objects repository.

### Virtual Tools -- e-Learning Master Courses

![](media/image3.jpeg){width="0.8347222222222223in"
height="1.3652777777777778in"}Imagine a seven part series of interactive
multimedia presentations and activities on the history of the universe
led by Carl Sagan and delivered to your browser on-demand -- a Knowledge
Explorer Learning Adventure (KELA). Interactive simulations (Knowledge
Explorer Worlds or KEWs) of the evolution of our Solar System for
example, where you can change some of the early conditions and see the
effects on the evolution of our planets (could life still evolve?),
would be just one of the many features of this compelling online
Learning Adventure.

We can now capture the world's most inspirational teachers and the most
engaging learning materials available and provide instant access to them
with expert facilitators and the support of a community of online
learners. Combined with face-to-face interactions with local teachers
and learners, we now can combine the best of both the online and
hands-on worlds of learning.

### Virtual Tools -- Online Mentoring and Support

Research has shown that online learning without a trained guide is often
not as effective as online learning with the assistance of a
well-trained facilitator or mentor.

![](media/image4.jpeg){width="1.6041666666666667in"
height="2.0229166666666667in"}NASA's highly successful Summer High
School Apprenticeship Research Program (SHARP) has shown the value of
mentorships in hands-on apprenticeship research projects. This success
can be extended to the online world with a network of online NASA
mentors -- the Knowledge Explorers Network (KEN) -- of both currently
working and retired NASA employees, as well as participation from an
extensive NASA-related network of science, math, technology and
engineering experts at universities, other agencies and companies around
the world.

An important component of this mentoring and support network is
consistent and high-quality facilitator training for mentors. Though one
can be an expert in a content area, helping others through learning
barriers and obstacles can be a very different set of skills.

### Virtual Tools -- Online Simulation Library

It seems rather incredible that one of the best uses of computers for
learning -- interacting with rich simulations of real-world phenomena --
is so little used in education. Part of the reason for this is the lack
of a readily accessible library of simulations for learning across the
curriculum. Another reason is the lack of standards for the creation and
delivery of these educational simulations.

NASA can certainly take a leadership position in establishing standards
(like the ExP project in NASA's Learning Technology group) and in
stimulating the creation of freely available interactive simulations in
a well-organized library (a library of simulated Knowledge Explorer
Worlds -- or KEWs -- housed in the Learning Objects Repository outlined
above). Through competitive grants and competitions in cooperation with
the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Science Teachers
Association (NSTA), the International Technology Education Association
(ITEA), and other partners, including foundations and for-profit
companies, NASA can take the lead in bringing the power of simulations
to all learners and teachers.

## Visceral Tools

### Visceral Tools -- Knowledge Explorer Maps

One example of a low-tech way of organizing and sustaining a Knowledge
Explorer Challenge is to have a table-size, visually compelling,
graphically-rich chart of the sequence of activities and the key
information, resources and tips needed to keep the Challenge going
(example below from a leadership challenge from Root Learning, Inc.
shown below).

![](media/image5.jpeg){width="3.59375in" height="2.4715277777777778in"}

Students and teachers alike would return to these charts (or Knowledge
Explorer Maps -- KE-Maps) to get their bearings during team meetings and
to reflect on where they are and where they have to go next to move the
challenge experience along.

### Visceral Tools -- Hands-on NASA Experiences

For those able to visit a NASA site, a special series of hands-on
experiences (Knowledge Explorer Experiences, or KEEs) coordinated with a
student's or teacher's learning plan can be a highly motivating
experience that could change the course of a student's life.

![](media/image6.jpeg){width="1.8645833333333333in"
height="1.4479166666666667in"}NASA has developed a number of highly
immersive, learning environments at many of its centers. Whether it's
flying a plane of your own design in a tabletop wind tunnel, simulating
a Space Shuttle trip inside a multimedia mock-up of the Shuttle cockpit,
or programming a replica of the Mars Rover, real "magic" and motivation
for learning can occur with hands-on experiences at NASA sites.

These valuable experiences can be supplemented by online pre-visits and
projects, as well as follow-up online activities and challenges.

### Visceral Tools -- Model Learning Labs and Schools

New environments for Knowledge Explorer Challenge-based learning also
need to be invented and tested. Traditional classroom designs lead to
traditional "sage on the stage" instruction.

Achieving a new balance of instruction and construction with more "guide
on the side" support for teachers and other community experts and guides
means a new physical design for learning. Teamwork requires team spaces,
design and invention activities require studios with tools and
construction supplies (Knowledge Explorer Labs, or KE-Labs), and
authentic learning necessitates easy access to both natural environments
and the surrounding community.

![](media/image7.jpeg){width="1.7520833333333334in" height="1.28125in"}

![](media/image8.jpeg){width="1.7569444444444444in"
height="1.21875in"}Model learning environments like the School of
Environmental Studies in Minnesota that have carefully designed both
"forum" group and "pod" personal spaces, and have included plenty of
teamwork studio and lab spaces, are paving the way for a new 21^st^
Century architecture for learning.

NASA can begin to create these new learning spaces at NASA centers and
can work with schools to create more of these new learning environments.
NASA can even innovate new charter schools, at NASA sites or elsewhere,
where 21^st^ Century Knowledge Explorer learning can be designed from
the ground up.

### Visceral Tools -- After-school Invention Clubhouses

One way to reach a wider population of learners is to work through a
network of after-school programs designed to foster Knowledge
Explorer-type learning, invention and discovery.

![](media/image9.jpeg){width="2.3645833333333335in"
height="1.7777777777777777in"}One such existing network is the Intel
Computer Clubhouse Network, with participation by the MIT Media Lab and
the Boston Museum of Science. With over 100 Clubhouses worldwide,
students come to explore, learn and invent using some of the most
innovative technology-enhanced learning tools and materials available.
NASA can help expand this network or build a complimentary one
(Knowledge Explorer Clubhouses), focused on learning challenges and
explorations from the five NASA enterprises and supported by NASA's
Knowledge Explorer tools and learning architecture.

## A 21^st^ Century Knowledge Explorer Mission

How do all the learning components, tools and architecture fit together
to make a whole learning system and mission that is much more than the
sum of its parts?

The following Learning Mission map illustrates the integration of all
the components described in the previous section.

![](media/image1.wmf)

The target remains the learning and teaching needs of our 21^st^ Century
learners and teachers -- our Knowledge Explorers. The focus is on
Learning Challenges from each of the five NASA enterprises.

NASA's new Education Program will reach out across the nation through a
combination of online, virtual learning programs and hands-on,
face-to-face learning experiences at a variety of new learning
environments at NASA sites and at schools and after-school programs
nationwide.

Behind the scenes is a state-of-the-art learning support system founded
on research-based, standards-aligned learning and a rich variety of
student assessments, portfolios and evaluations to guide our Knowledge
Explorers to new heights of discovery, invention and achievement.

## 21^st^ Century Teacher and Leader Development

This vision of the pioneering of a new NASA-inspired, 21^st^ Century
education model for all students and teachers wouldn't be complete
without some special consideration for our teachers and school leaders.

Without their participation, none of this will come to pass. We've
learned a great deal about how change works and doesn't in schools. The
keys to a transformation like the one outlined in this paper lie in the
commitments of all the stakeholders in the education system, but
especially, teachers and the people that support them -- principals,
district administrators, Board members and parents.

Commitment is first gained by seeing results. Places where this kind of
learning is succeeding must be seen by teachers and administrators,
preferably face-to-face. Then a rich dialog must begin with Master
Teachers who are comfortable and successful with these new methods and
tools. Mentor relationships with both teachers and principals must be
forged to keep the change process fueled. Time for reflection and
absorption of new methods, tools and systems must be available.

In the twelve years of research done on the Apple Classroom of Tomorrow
schools, success in moving practice toward a more 21^st^ Century model
was predicated on this combination of observing, trying, discussing,
being mentored and mentoring others, and taking the time necessary for
deep changes in beliefs about learning and teaching to sink in.

NASA has a great advantage in motivating all educational stakeholders to
want to move toward a better educational system. NASA represents the
future -- the future of science and technology, the future of
exploration of the universe and knowledge, the future of rewarding
careers, and by association, the future of education and learning.

Leadership training of principals, superintendents, School Board members
and others will be key to the success of the Knowledge Explorer mission.
Policymakers, legislators and business leaders must also see how this
approach to learning will result in a workforce that is ready for the
knowledge challenges of the 21^st^ Century.

## NASA's 21^st^ Century Learning Mission and It's Return On Investment

What benefits will an investment in a 21^st^ Century Knowledge Explorer
mission bring to NASA, our students and teachers, our schools, and our
country?

### NASA's Return On Investment

Our country is facing a severe shortage of trained workers fluent in
science, math, engineering and technology. NASA also faces a severe
human capital shortage. At the Marshall Space Flight Center, 62
engineers out of the 3,000-person workforce are under 30 years old. The
over-60 population, across NASA is three times larger than the under-30
workforce. Inspiring the next generation of explorers to enter fields of
science and engineering is critical to NASA's success and to
reconstituting its workforce for 21^st^ Century challenges.

### Students' and Teachers' Return On Investment

Both students and teachers need a new set of skills, knowledge and
values to be successful in the 21^st^ Century. There is a serious
digital divide facing our education system -- the divide between what
goes on in the classroom and what is happening outside the classroom.
Too many students are "dropping out" of school and too many teachers are
leaving a teaching career. Not enough students are interested in
pursuing science, math or engineering studies and not enough teachers
are trained in these subjects.

Students do have a natural curiosity and motivation to learn about
space, technology and the universe around them. They also know that
working in teams, working on meaningful projects, and learning from real
world experiences are powerful motivators. The return on investment here
can be a new generation of students and teachers, excited about learning
and deeply engaged in understanding the world around them and how they
can make the world a better place for all.

### Schools' Return On Investment

We have had almost three decades of reform efforts and much too little
to show for it. Although there are islands of tremendous progress with
wonderfully creative, engaging and effective learning programs that are
effectively preparing students for the 21^st^ Century, these are the
exceptions.

We need leadership and the skills to launch a mission that will pioneer
the future of education for all schools and all children. Only NASA with
its educational partners has the skills, knowledge, values and
experience to accomplish this mission and to ensure a lasting, positive
learning return for all learners, teachers and schools well into the
rest of the 21^st^ Century.

### Our Country's Return On Investment

The United States is quickly becoming a Knowledge Society and an
Information Economy where knowledge work and lifelong learning are the
roads to career and personal success. We have become a technology-based
society and will continue to become more so into the foreseeable future.
We need an educational system that will prepare all children for success
in this world. The return on investment for our country will be a strong
workforce ready for 21^st^ Century challenges, a stronger economy as a
result of a well-prepared workforce, a nation of creative and critical
problem-solvers ready to tackle the most intractable of society's
problems, and a science-and-technology-literate citizenry that can
handle the complex issues that will face our democracy long into the
future.

As NASA Administrator, Sean O'Keefe has said, "NASA's past is legendary
but its future is full of even greater promise. Our mission in this
endeavor is Education and our charge as directed by our new Mission
Statement is to inspire the next generation of explorers . . . as only
NASA can."

NASA can inspire and pioneer the next generation of learning so that
every child can be a successful 21^st^ Century Knowledge Explorer.

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