The Signing Earth Science Dictionary for Grades 9-12 Track 1 Project

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). TERC in partnership with Vcom3D will use the SigningAvatar® assistive technology to research and develop a unique, state-of-the-art, illustrated, interactive 3D dictionary of at least 750 standards-based Earth science terms for high school students who are deaf and hard of hearing and whose first language is sign. This Track 1 project addresses the primary goal of the OEDG program, which is to increase participation of students with disabilities in formal pre-college geosciences education programs - in particular that of the approximately 36,000 students in grades 9-12 who are deaf or hard of hearing and are required under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the No Child Left Behind Act to have access to the same content as hearing students. To establish effectiveness of the Signing Earth Science Dictionary (SESD), the partners will investigate the kinds of learning gains that are possible when it is used in specialized schools for the deaf and in mainstream settings. Their hypotheses are that students in the target population will have an assistive tool that helps them 1) increase their ability to sign, understand, and use the English-based language of Earth science; 2) improve their Earth science content knowledge; and 3) increase their ability to study Earth science independently. At the end of the 18-month project, Vcom3D will release a CD-ROM version of the SESD for use without an Internet connection. TERC will release a web-based version for use with an Internet connection. Presentations and publication of findings will be based on a Final Report. It is expected that this broad dissemination will result in pre-college students who are deaf and hard of hearing having a unique research-based tool that increases their access to rigorous Earth science study that they can build on beyond high school and that may lead to careers in the geosciences. It will also serve as a resource of recognized signs for educators and professionals in the geosciences who collaborate with Earth science education programs through real- world experiences including field trips and internships. As such, the SESD promises to increase their ability to communicate with deaf students and may improve their practice.