There is no “I” in space: Integration of PBL and SEL in the Ramon SpaceLab

Ramon Spacelab is a research-based educational program, providing students a unique opportunity to develop and design an experiment that is launched and conducted onboard the International Space Station. SpaceLab is structured by seven group missions, commemorating NASA's Columbia STS-107 mission astronauts, among them-the first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon. The program missions' methodology is based on NASA's Project Management approach, and on Israel's Air Force fundamentals: teamwork collaboration, role assignments within the team, providing and receiving effective feedback, group personal inquiry, creative and critical thinking, problem-solving, public speaking and more. Hence, implementing most innovative learning practices. SpaceLab's advanced pedagogy is designed not only to encourage young students to major and excel in STEAM but enables children to acquire necessary soft skills for the changing reality in the 21^st century and future workforce. The program implements social-emotional learning (SEL) to achieve personal and collective goals and establish and maintain supportive relationships with their peers and partners. One of these critical skills for succeeding in today's world is teamwork, a skill that is lacking in the formal educational system. In this paper the educational methodologies used in the Ramon Spacelab program will be presented, with distinct emphasis on teamwork, and its contribution to the success in such a competition and getting a group's experiment to space.