The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF), the nation’s only Congressionally chartered aviation hall of fame, is honored to announce a new partnership with the State of Ohio, PBS affiliate ThinkTV, national and local organizations, and regional officials to create and distribute their aviation-focused, STEAM Program Discovering Flight: Learning with the NAHF to Ohio schools most impacted by learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Through the creation and promotion of a new and exciting STEAM curriculum, the NAHF is continuing Ohio’s strong legacy of being first in flight and first in aviation innovation,” said Governor Mike DeWine. “I applaud the hall of fame for its efforts to teach students about Ohio’s proud past, while also inspiring them to champion the future of Ohio-led STEAM – and specifically aviation – breakthroughs.”
Discovering Flight: Learning with the National Aviation Hall of Fame is a multi-faceted educational program for elementary-age children. It includes Problem Solving with Wilbur and Orville, created by the education experts at ThinkTV/PBS, and is a series of three individual, 5-unit, classroom curricula for elementary grades. Each lesson aligns with national curriculum standards and grade proficiency outcomes and includes classroom activities, digital videos, interactives, and additional resources that bring science, history, and the invention of powered flight, to life.
Discovering Flight also includes Why I Fly, a series of short videos featuring an individual engaged in an aviation or aerospace career. Created by Hemlock Films, the focus of each film is to share the whole realm of aviation and aerospace careers with a young and diverse audience. Why I Fly videos are shared on PBS digital media, the NAHF website and will be available to visitors of the NAHF through an interactive kiosk.
“While NAHF plays an integral role in preserving the rich history of aviation in Ohio, it also offers valuable lessons for continuing Ohio’s tradition of pioneering innovation in flight,” said Interim State Superintendent of Public Instruction Stephanie Siddens. “We are fortunate that Ohio students do not need to look far for inspiration in STEAM-related fields. NAHF is taking the initiative to bring our state’s wealth of experience and resources together into a curriculum that makes STEAM accessible to a new generation of Ohio learners.”
The partnership with Ohio is made possible by the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER). The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSA), was signed into law on Dec. 27, 2021, and provides funding to combat pandemic-related learning loss and provide a solution to aviation and aerospace workforce deficits. Delivered through printed classroom curriculum guides, the NAHF website, social media, PBS Kids programming, and PBS Learning Media, and in the NAHF’s Heritage Hall and Education Center (HHEC), Problem Solving with Will and Orv is designed to support teachers and inspire students both in and outside the classroom.
“We are grateful to the state of Ohio for its support of this bold initiative and honored to work with our content partners, ThinkTV/PBS and Hemlock Films, to develop a turn-key program that benefits elementary age students and supports teachers throughout our state,” said NAHF President and CEO, Amy Spowart. “The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a profound impact on student learning and mental health and is widening existing opportunity and achievement gaps. Our program aims to address this, particularly in under-resourced schools, and ignite the aviation and aerospace workforce of tomorrow.”
