![]() Plus, they tried both their patience and their fine motor skills by wearing bulky gloves while trying to thread beads and screw nuts and bolts together - not an easy task for astronauts in space nor for educators here on Earth. The educators toured the Inflatable Lunar/Mars Analog Habitat on the far western edge of campus. And using dental molds and a few golf balls, they replicated the surface of the moon. They transformed the sun and planets of the solar system into tactile models made of foam. So, when measuring the distance of paper airplane flights, the workshop’s participants shunned tape measures in favor of yarn. What did they do?īecause students with sensory impairments sometimes learn best through nontraditional means, the workshop sought to help teachers master those methods and learn how the tools might bring about a better understanding of science. Photo courtesy of the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium. Educators use some simple tools to demonstrate how the Earth’s magnetic field works. In Grand Forks, the educators took part in 30 hours of intense (albeit fun) hands-on learning with UND staff and faculty, as well as guest facilitators and keynote speakers from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, Edinboro University and Georgetown University. Saad said more than 20 educators - both those already in the classroom and those just learning to be teachers - came from across the country to participate in the four-day workshop. “We work with higher education faculty and K-12 teachers statewide to be that connecting bridge that might lead to space.” “In a nutshell, Space Grant is a workforce development program, and our primary charge is to help students get into STEM pathways,” Saad said. It’s important, she said, to make sure educators have all the right technologies, tools and strategies to make science accessible and engaging for everyone. Space Grant Deputy Director Marissa Saad explained that inclusion for all is a big part of NASA’s mission. Photo courtesy of North Dakota Space Grant Consortium. An educator at the “NASA in the Classroom Workshop” explores a tactile and braille book of the constellation Orion the Hunter. IDEAS, by the way, stands for Innovative Differentiated Education Activities in Space Science. The workshop was hosted at UND and organized by Space Grant IDEAS teams from North Dakota, North Carolina and South Carolina. In fact, the focus of the latest “NASA in the Classroom Workshop” was to show teachers how to incorporate universal design aspects into their lesson plans to make STEM subjects - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - more accessible for all students, including those who may be blind or deaf. “Why would you want to leave anyone out when you’re seeking answers to so many things? You never know when that someone might have the answers to everything.” “We want to turn everyone on to science and space,” McIntosh said. Then there was the science club and the pet fish, and that was that.” Tori McIntosh (left) and Marissa Saad.įast-forward a few years, and the program coordinator (and UND graduate student) now is teaching other educators how to spark that same sense of curiosity and drive for discovery in their own students. I had a teacher who showed me just how exciting it can be. ![]() “I think that’s what sparked my love for science. ![]() That was like the highlight of the year,” McIntosh said with a laugh. Zerr started a science club and brought a big fish tank into our biology class. Zerr, who showed up at Harvey (N.D.) High her junior year. Tori McIntosh didn’t have to dig too deep to recall that one special teacher or favorite mentor who had most inspired her along the way.įor McIntosh, program coordinator for the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium, that person was Mr. NASA-backed workshop gives teachers tools, strategies to engage sensory-impaired learners An educator (left) from North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind in Grand Forks, along with two more educators from North Carolina, prepare for the upcoming 2023-24 solar eclipses by testing out special safety glasses. Published in: College of Engineering & Mines, Diversity & Inclusion, John D.
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