Presenters
Olivia Smithmier, GLAS Education, WI, USA; Jamar Zhou, University of Chicago / GLAS Education, IL, USA.
Abstract
How strange that sighted people describe the sky as a dome. And why does a fist “held at arms’ length” equal 10°? Giving students a model of the appearance without giving them the reasoning behind the appearance and the implications of it misses a crucial step. We believe that historical scientific instruments – real, tangible objects designed around real phenomena – offer an untapped, pedagogically rich and sound approach for giving students a true depth of understanding and intuition about the sky, its motion, and other related concepts. We focus on an accessible teaching model of a sextant that does not rely on sight for instruction or use. The design and elements of a sextant and its original use make it an excellent initial test case. It bridges the gap, especially for blind students, between the baffling assertion of how the sky “appears” to how it actually behaves. The project gives students an historic and interdisciplinary perspective on astronomical and navigational sciences at the time of our nation’s founding, as well as opportunities for discovery and guided instruction in a variety of settings. We will share the tool we have created, and the first fruits of student engagement with it.