ERIC Number: EJ1143214
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1544-6751
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Camp Invention ASL: Inclusive, Relevant, Family-Focused Science
Santini, Joseph
Odyssey: New Directions in Deaf Education, v18 p28-31 2017
Among the fields that particularly lack images of diverse participants are those of science, technology, engineering, and math, fields captured under the acronym STEM. Often in STEM fields, images and experiences of deaf and hard of hearing children, children of color, and young women are rare or absent altogether, with the result that these children do not visualize themselves as becoming scientists. The lack of representation in these materials creates a self-fulfilling prophecy that leads students to ongoing struggles with STEM curriculum and a lack of confidence, a process that has been explored by the National Research Council (2011). Research has shown that students benefit from seeing positive images of people like themselves doing science. Therefore, in the summer of 2013, when Jill Bradbury approached the author about the possibility of establishing a summer program in STEM and American Sign Language (ASL), the author was excited. The program would be a section of Camp Invention, a national organization that partners with over 1,000 schools throughout the United States to provide summer experiences in STEM fields for children entering grades one through six. Bradbury, a professor of English at Gallaudet University and a mother of two young hearing children, wanted to establish the first Camp Invention in ASL. In this camp, deaf and hard of hearing children, their hearing siblings, and hearing children of deaf parents could engage in the fun of learning science together. The camp would be called "Camp Invention ASL." In 2016 the camp was established and is presented in this article.
Descriptors: Deafness, Hearing Impairments, STEM Education, American Sign Language, Disproportionate Representation, Summer Programs, Elementary School Students, Science Activities, Language Usage, Family Programs, Teaching Methods
Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center. Gallaudet University, 800 Florida Avenue NE, KS 3600, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-526-9105; Tel: 202-651-5340; Fax: 202-651-5708; e-mail: odyssey@gallaudet.edu; Web site: http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A