RAOP
Professional Development
View PD Materials →RAOP professional development (PD) helps educators translate their research experience into classroom-ready learning activities that are feasible for adoption in high-need Local Education Agencies (LEAs). PD emphasizes guided inquiry-based instruction, effective use of robotics and autonomy contexts, and the creation of implementable lesson materials aligned to clear learning objectives and assessment plans. PD is integrated across the two-week virtual phase and the one-week on-site phase so educators move from simulation-based exploration to validated, classroom-feasible implementation.
- Weeks 1–2 (Virtual): educators complete guided digital-twin labs and develop lesson and assessment drafts aligned to a selected RAOP activity.
- Week 3 (On-site): educators validate key ideas using hardware-aligned activities, strengthen classroom feasibility, and finalize deliverables through coached revision and peer review.
- Post-program: educators retain access to program resources and templates (as applicable) to support classroom adoption and outreach.
PD Objectives
- Apply guided inquiry strategies to robotics and autonomy learning activities.
- Convert RAOP lab workflows into classroom-ready lessons, student deliverables, and implementation plans.
- Design assessments aligned to learning objectives (formative checks and summative products).
- Document procedures, required resources, and adaptations so activities are feasible and reproducible in K–12 settings.
- Plan for real classroom constraints (time, technology access, student readiness) while preserving rigorous, evidence-based learning outcomes.
PD Format
- Structured mentoring, check-ins, and feedback during both phases.
- Modeled inquiry facilitation moves (questioning strategies and student evidence-building routines).
- Dedicated work sessions for lesson planning, assessment design, and classroom translation.
- Peer review cycles to improve clarity, feasibility, alignment, and usability.
- Final deliverable review to ensure materials are classroom-ready for piloting and use.
Core PD Modules
Modules are integrated across the virtual and on-site phases to support classroom transfer. PD content is tied directly to RAOP activities (digital-twin labs and on-site validation) so educators can connect technical concepts to classroom objectives, student tasks, and assessments.
| Module | Focus | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Inquiry-Based Instruction | Scaffolding, questioning strategies, student evidence-building, structured reflection, and facilitation routines for robotics/autonomy contexts. | A classroom facilitation plan aligned to a selected RAOP activity, including teacher prompts and student checkpoints. |
| Lesson Design & Alignment | Learning objectives, lesson flow, differentiation, classroom feasibility, and alignment to student deliverables reflecting the RAOP workflow. | A draft lesson plan and student-facing materials (handouts, prompts, and expected products). |
| Assessment Planning | Formative checks, rubrics, and evidence of learning aligned to objectives; assessments that capture conceptual understanding and data-driven reasoning. | An assessment draft (rubric + implementation notes) with clear criteria for student evidence and performance. |
| Classroom Translation & Implementation | Adapting activities to classroom conditions (time, technology, student readiness), selecting appropriate representations (data, videos, simplified models), and planning logistics. | A classroom implementation package: required resources, pacing plan, constraint mitigations, and adaptations for different grade levels. |
Each educator completes a classroom-ready package aligned to the RAOP inquiry workflow and feasible for use in high-need LEAs.
- One classroom-ready lesson plan aligned to a selected RAOP experiment (controls, aerial dynamics, manipulation, or ground autonomy).
- Student-facing materials (activity instructions, prompts, and deliverable templates) suitable for classroom use.
- An aligned assessment plan (at minimum: one formative check and one summative rubric) with clear evidence-of-learning criteria.
- An implementation plan describing time requirements, required resources, constraints, and practical adaptations for the educator’s instructional context.
- Clear objectives and aligned student evidence (what students produce and why).
- Feasible pacing and classroom logistics (time, devices, grouping, data access).
- Inquiry scaffolds (prompts, checkpoints, reflection) appropriate for the grade level.
- Assessment criteria that are observable and actionable for teachers and students.
Participant Materials
These resources support implementation planning. At launch, links below open the current public versions. If access restrictions are required later, these links should be replaced with a restricted folder URL.
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