The careers of the future are out of this world—literally!
The first person to step foot on the red planet has already been born and could be a student in a classroom, a kid in your neighborhood, or a child in your own home. We are preparing the next generation for jobs that do not exist and for career paths that may not be in our communities, our countries, or even on our planet.
Education has always been about the future. As the very nature and location of work changes, education must evolve as well. In this age of disruption and iteration, education leaders cannot rely on the way things have been done in the past. We have to propel change and reimagine what is possible for today’s students.
The Martians in Your Classroom reveals the urgent need for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and career and technical education (CTE) in every learning space. You will learn how the study of space stimulates young people with an interest in science and technology. You’ll also learn the important roles educators as well as business and political leaders play in advancing STEM in schools.
Proposing an international endeavor, educator Rachael Mann and former Director of Space Technology Exploration at NASA Stephen Sandford challenge us all to revive learning and quite literally save humanity.
Mann and Sandford marry the passion of teachers with the brilliance of rocket scientists – presenting a compelling case for *why* we need innovation in our schools. If the first people to walk on Mars (the first generation of Martians) may be in our classrooms today, and if our society on Earth *needs* a reinvestment in space exploration, what role can the educators of today play in helping students create this future? This book is a launchpad for those who are willing to find out, with pragmatic recommendations for classroom activities, student tools, and deep reflection questions for the reader. Mann and Sandford call for amplifying student voice, globalizing learning spaces, and being active advocates for the future of the human race – in space and at home. This is a book any educator concerned about the future should explore today.
— Mark Wagner, Ph.D.
CEO, EdTechTeam
Author of More Now: A Message From The Future For The Educators of Today
The Martians in Your Classroom is not your typical ‘how-to-teach’ book. Rachael Mann and Stephen Sandford have laid out alternatives to where we need to drive learning, and they do so with easy-to-use ideas that will stimulate young minds! Educators will love the ways in which they will be able to incorporate Space and Space exploration into all aspects of their teaching!
— Jaime Casap, education evangelist at Google
In The Martians in Your Classroom, Rachael Mann and Stephen Sandford show us how to build tomorrow’s classroom today to prepare our students for whatever lies ahead. Mann and Sandford remind us that, to make our teaching relevant and exciting to students, we ‘must address the big issue of exploring and inhabiting the next frontiers of Space. To do so, we have to look up.’ When we look up at Space, it’s hard not to feel a sense of wonder. With this essential guide, they bring to life Ray Bradbury’s dictum: “It is good to renew one’s wonder . . . . Space travel has again made children of us all.”
— Talia Milgrom-Elcott, executive director and founder, 100Kin10
The Martians in Your Classroom is overflowing with authentic, practical, and engaging ways to empower creative thinking and student voice in the modern classroom. Mann and Sandford have crafted an inspiring read for every educator on the mission to foster student empathy through global communication.
— Dr. Charlie Miller, founder of Flipgrid, professor at the University of Minnesota
The Martians in the Classroom is a compelling narrative that makes the case for STEM and career and technical education by identifying the issues, proposing solutions and highlighting outstanding program examples. This book helps educators, parents, and the public better understand how we can empower today’s learners for the global challenges that lie ahead.
— LeAnn Wilson, Executive Director at ACTE
Mann and Sandford fuel a twin-turbo rocket onto a different planet regarding their claim about where education was and where it needs to go. Their launchpad reflections offer practical applications and intuitive, orbital expertise that any classroom can adopt. The Martians in Your Classroom is not only about STEM, STEAM, or whatever you want to call your own modern version of educating students. It is a call to action for new-age thinking, not old-school, status quo instruction. And remember, NASA had to start somewhere too. Grab this book to begin or continue your creative work with kids because they are counting on you!
— Rick Jetter, PhD, founder of Pushing Boundaries Consulting, LLC, national education consultant,
speaker, and author of six books, including Let Them Speak! and Escaping the School Leader’s Dunk Tank
If you are a teacher, a parent, a Space nut, a futurist—okay anybody who has anything to do with children—this is a must-read.
— Dr. Rob Furman, principal, author of The Future Ready Challenge, #BlogTalkRadio
