June 10, 2008

LIVINGSTON, Ala.--A University of West Alabama education graduate student has been accepted to attend the National Aeronautics and Space Administration/Jackson State University Pre-Service Teacher Institute to increase her skills in teaching mathematics and science, while incorporating technology in the curriculum.

DeVeeta Hines of York will take part in the two-week residential institute held in July on the JSU campus in Jackson, Miss. Sponsored by the NASA Space Operations Mission Directorate, through the John C. Stennis Space Center, the institute will focus on problem-based learning with an aerospace theme.

Hines, who hopes to teach elementary or middle school math before teaching on a college level, says she is excited about attending the institute.

“I am always looking for an opportunity to enhance and explore my skills, and I applied to this program especially because it was geared toward prospective math and science teachers,” Hines said. “I am passionate and excited about learning new concepts and methods, along with meeting new people and networking.”

Hines will join prospective teachers from across the nation in workshops that focus on effective lesson plan design, mathematics integration, hands-on earth science and propulsion lessons and technology integration. She will also visit NASA’s Stennis Space Center.

“We are very proud that Ms. Hines has been accepted into this program,” said Dr. Judy Massey, mathematics and natural sciences dean. “This is a wonderful opportunity for her to learn many enrichment activities and applications of the mathematics that she is studying in her curriculum at UWA. Ms. Hines and her future students will benefit greatly from this two-week institute.” 

“This program will provide me with the opportunity to learn a variety of new teaching strategies,” said Hines, the daughter of Laura Hines and Frank Hines Jr. “As a prospective math teacher, my teaching style will be geared toward classroom creativity and identifying individual strengths. I will use the knowledge gained at the institute to help my students become analytical thinkers and proficient problem solvers.”