Our World Class Question:
How can we improve the way students learn about the lunar phases?
This is a topic all five of us had a hard time learning and remembering. Science standards in NC require all student to learn about moon phases in 3rd and 6th grade. That’s a lot of people who could use our help! Once we started researching, we got even more excited about creating a better way to learn about moon phases because we also learned that 20% of college students can’t explain the cause for lunar phases, including Harvard graduates! Many people believe the earth’s shadow causes the lunar phases. We just knew there had to be a better way!!!!
Current solutions:
We found lots of solutions: Bracelets, calendars, videos, books. Here are some links:
Model with rotating light
Oreo cookie activity
These are fun ways to learn about the moon, but none of them address some of the biggest issues with understanding moon phases. We reached out to an Education Specialist at the Morehead Planetarium, Addie Jo Schonewolf. She gave us this feedback:
"Students can’t hold the Earth and the Moon in your hand, and you can’t speed up time to watch it happen over and over again. If we were able to watch the Earth and the Moon from space for a few minutes and see the Moon go through its phases, I think it would be much less confusing. Or, if we could play with a model of the Earth, Moon, and Sun, we’d be able to see what causes lunar phases. That’s why I think a planetarium is helpful- you can get a view from space and you can get your hands on models."
We also worked with Mark Samberg, the Technology Innovations Program Manager, at The Friday Institute. He gave us a lot of feedback on learning styles and how to meet the needs of students. We shared this information with Ms. Schonewolf and she gave us multiple examples of how the Planetarium meets the needs of different kinds of learners.
How can we improve the way students learn about the lunar phases?
This is a topic all five of us had a hard time learning and remembering. Science standards in NC require all student to learn about moon phases in 3rd and 6th grade. That’s a lot of people who could use our help! Once we started researching, we got even more excited about creating a better way to learn about moon phases because we also learned that 20% of college students can’t explain the cause for lunar phases, including Harvard graduates! Many people believe the earth’s shadow causes the lunar phases. We just knew there had to be a better way!!!!
Current solutions:
We found lots of solutions: Bracelets, calendars, videos, books. Here are some links:
Model with rotating light
Oreo cookie activity
These are fun ways to learn about the moon, but none of them address some of the biggest issues with understanding moon phases. We reached out to an Education Specialist at the Morehead Planetarium, Addie Jo Schonewolf. She gave us this feedback:
"Students can’t hold the Earth and the Moon in your hand, and you can’t speed up time to watch it happen over and over again. If we were able to watch the Earth and the Moon from space for a few minutes and see the Moon go through its phases, I think it would be much less confusing. Or, if we could play with a model of the Earth, Moon, and Sun, we’d be able to see what causes lunar phases. That’s why I think a planetarium is helpful- you can get a view from space and you can get your hands on models."
We also worked with Mark Samberg, the Technology Innovations Program Manager, at The Friday Institute. He gave us a lot of feedback on learning styles and how to meet the needs of students. We shared this information with Ms. Schonewolf and she gave us multiple examples of how the Planetarium meets the needs of different kinds of learners.
With this information, we were ready to tackle our SOLUTION!
Our INNOVATIVE Solution:
First we decided to tackle the issue with learning styles. Our solutions has two parts, both addressing this approach.
The first part of our solution is our website, www.WRLDnc.weebly.com. It’s a planning tool for teachers. It also helps students figure out their learning style. Once they know their learning style, they are directed to multiple ways to learn about lunar phases that matches their learning style. WRLD stands for “W”atch, “R”ead, “L”isten, “D”o. Something for everyone! This website can be developed for multiple learning topics helping teachers and students find the information they need in the way that meets their learning style easily!!!!
Website is INNOVATIVE because:
Our INNOVATIVE Solution:
First we decided to tackle the issue with learning styles. Our solutions has two parts, both addressing this approach.
The first part of our solution is our website, www.WRLDnc.weebly.com. It’s a planning tool for teachers. It also helps students figure out their learning style. Once they know their learning style, they are directed to multiple ways to learn about lunar phases that matches their learning style. WRLD stands for “W”atch, “R”ead, “L”isten, “D”o. Something for everyone! This website can be developed for multiple learning topics helping teachers and students find the information they need in the way that meets their learning style easily!!!!
Website is INNOVATIVE because:
- We couldn’t find a single website that was specifically targeted to categorizing educational information on moon phases by learning style. Our website does exactly that! It helps learners and teachers discover learning styles and then quickly and easily find lessons and information targeted to those specific learning styles.
The second part of our solution is the WRLD Lunar Phase Model. It incorporates the 4 main learning styles into one revolutionary model. Students can actually view the phases of the moon by stepping into the model. As they press a button and move around, a pointer turns to the phase. The student controls the speed they learn at. The phase has a label to read, gives an audio description and a vivid visual of what the phase looks like. Worksheets can also be used for the read/write learners. The students can also practice putting the moons up in the correct order and with the right label. It's like having a planetarium in the classroom.
Model is INNOVATIVE because:
Correct Representation:
The moon model incorporates many of the good things and eliminates many of the negative things we found with existing solutions. Many models give the students a false understanding.
Multiple Learning Styles:
The model also gives students the information using all four learning styles:
Our process:
Model is INNOVATIVE because:
Correct Representation:
The moon model incorporates many of the good things and eliminates many of the negative things we found with existing solutions. Many models give the students a false understanding.
- With oreo cookies, students might start to think the moon phases are different because part of the moon changes or disappears. Our model shows that the whole moon is there all the time. Half is always illuminated and half is always dark. The changes we see are caused by the perspective we have from earth.
- Other models have a light that rotates around the moon. This type of model is better because the actual moon doesn’t change shape. However, this kind of model can cause students to be confused and think the sun rotates around the moon. Our model keeps the sun in a fixed position.
- Calendars are a flat representation and don’t help the student understand the moon’s orbit around the earth. Our model clearly shows the path of the moon, the physical properties of the moon, and the relationship of the sun and earth to the moon.
Multiple Learning Styles:
The model also gives students the information using all four learning styles:
- Visual - they can see the half light/dark moon, the movement of the moon, the relationship of the sun
- Auditory - they hear audio clips describing the moon phase and orbit of the moon around the earth
- Reading - they can read the descriptions
- Kinesthetic - they can move the moons and descriptions around and practice placing them in order
Our process:
We are now working on replacing the NXT with an arduidio so that we can have longer audio descriptions. We are also looking at design options to keep the cost of manufacturing as low as possible.
This model would be a great addition to any classroom! It gives a huge learning experience to the student and breaks down into a small bag for easy storage. Be on the lookout for this product to be offered to the public soon!
This model would be a great addition to any classroom! It gives a huge learning experience to the student and breaks down into a small bag for easy storage. Be on the lookout for this product to be offered to the public soon!