What does "STEAM for All" look like? ⁠
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To explore the topic, Explora partnered with the LANL Foundation to host an in-person workshop for early childhood educators in Española. Explora drew on their work with NUDL: Designing for Neurodiverse Learners Using Universal Design Principles, an NSF-funded project with the Children`s Museum of Pittsburgh and the New York Hall of Science. ⁠
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Participants learned how Universal Design for Learning principles can show up in STEAM activities, including how to anticipate diversity and provide multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression through activity design, physical environment, facilitation choices, and social interactions. ⁠
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One teacher said, "I loved the visuals and guidelines at the end. A great tool for expanding my lessons," while another noted that she learned how to use "everyday items to promote learning with diverse instruments and toys unique to learn, and interactive and engagement techniques from instructors."⁠
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@lanlfoundation⁠
@pghkids⁠
@nysci

Thanks to early childhood funding from Sandia National Labs, Explora led five hours of hands-on, inquiry-based science sessions at the NMAEYC conference. ⁠
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In the "Rocks and Water" session, over 50 educators from across New Mexico learned how to capture their students` natural curiosity about rocks and turn it into a deeper experience of discovery. They compared the buoyancy, rolling, and weight of their rocks through systematic investigations. ⁠
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The "AI for Early Childhood" session provided activities on data sorting, feature extraction, and machine learning for pre-K through third-grade students. One participant said, "I am excited to try using the different AI tools discussed in teaching, like Quick Draw and Teachable Machine."⁠
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@sandialabs @nmaeyc