Imiloa launches new mobile outreach

Imiloa Astronomy Center announces the launch of its newest educational endeavor, MANU Imiloa, a mobile outreach program aimed at sharing Imiloa’s unique brand of culture-based science education across the island. Beginning in the fall, MANU Imiloa (Modern and Ancient ways of Navigating our Universe) will take Imiloa staff on the road with an interactive curriculum inspired by the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s epic Worldwide Voyage, and designed to explore the skills involved in non-instrument ocean navigation, or wayfinding.

Outreach will be offered in two formats. NOIO (Non-instrument Orientation, an Introduction to Oceanic Wayfinding) is a 30- to 60-minute package that can be delivered on request by K-12 schools and community centers, or offered as part of local events. Audiences of all ages gather around a model of the Hawaiian Star Compass or sit inside Imiloa’s digital portable planetarium to learn how wayfinders rely upon the stars and their relationship with the environment to determine course and direction.

The second offering, KOLEA (Keeping Our Legacy of Exploration Alive), is an over two-week curriculum package designed specifically for middle school teachers to adopt for seventh and eighth grade science or math classes. Titled “The Geometry of Wayfinding,” it explores the geometry and science that undergird traditional Polynesian non-instrumental navigation. Created using Moenaha — a culture-based curriculum design and instructional model — and developed with the guidance of a teacher advisory committee, this experience aligns with Common Core State Math Standards, Na Honua Mauli Ola Cultural Guidelines for Learners, and Next Generation Science Standards. KOLEA comprises six units designed to be taught over two weeks, with one unit delivered in an outreach visit by Imiloa staff, and the others pre- and post-visit lessons to be taught by the classroom teacher.

Along with curriculum, KOLEA offers participating teachers specialized training, access to customized educational materials and traveling toolkits, and opportunities to engage with crewmembers from the Worldwide Voyage. The 2015-16 KOLEA program will be limited to a first cohort of 10 middle school teachers across Hawaii Island. Selected teachers must complete program requirements and participate in an inaugural teacher workshop slated for Oct. 5 to 7. Applications for the 10 places close Aug. 15; selection committee decisions will be announced by Sept. 1.

The development of curriculum and materials and the pilot testing of Imiloa’s new mobile outreach programming were made possible by a generous grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The Moore Foundation grant has also funded Imiloa’s purchase of a digital portable planetarium, and during the coming year, it will enable Imiloa to acquire a customized vehicle for use in outreach.

For more information on Imiloa outreach programs and costs, visit imiloahawaii.org, email outreach@imiloahawaii.org or call 969-9721.