Neurodiversity in S.T.E.M. Education, with the TERC Team | EDB 304

Exploring Different Brains

Team members from TERC share the organization’s innovative work for improving S.T.E.M. education, and making it more inclusive for neurodivergent learners. TERC team members featured are: Dr. Jodi Asbell-Clarke is an educational researcher focusing on game-based learning, computational thinking, and neurodiversity in K-12. Dr. Asbell-Clarke’s academic background includes an MA in math, an M.Sc. in astrophysics, and a Ph.D. in curriculum, teaching, and learning. Early in her career, Jodi was an onboard software verification analyst for IBM during the first 25 missions of the space shuttle and later taught Physics and Astrophysics at the laboratory school at University of Illinois. She has led national and international STEM education projects involving curriculum development, professional development of teachers, and educational research. In 2009, she co-founded the Educational Gaming Environments group (EdGE) at TERC to study how game-based learning and is now a co-founder of NDinSTEM at TERC to focus on innovative pedagogies can foster inclusive STEM education. Dr. Ibrahim Dahlstrom-Hakki is a senior research scientist at TERC. A cognitive psychologist by training, his research focuses on the use of theories of cognitive science to improve STEM learning for neurodiverse populations of learners. Dr. Dahlstrom-Hakki is a first-generation Arab American who is particularly interested in better understanding and supporting learners with an intersectionality of identities that impact their learning. His current projects include exploring the use of VR, AR, and other technologies to teach science to neurodivergent learners. Dr. Dahlstrom-Hakki was the director of the Landmark College Institute for Research and Training, conducting research and providing professional development training to educators working with students with LD, ADHD, and autism. Dr. Zachary Alstad is an experienced educational consultant, teacher, and researcher. He has been accepted into top publications such as the Journal of Writing Research. He has taught at almost every level from kindergarten through college and adult education. Dr. Alstad is currently a researcher on several National Science Foundation grants exploring educational technologies for neurodiverse students. His ongoing mission is to help students who struggle with school to feel capable and be successful. Dr. Alstad is passionate about neurodiversity because of professional interest and personal diagnosis. For more about TERC: https://www.terc.edu/ Follow Different Brains on social media: https://twitter.com/diffbrains https://www.facebook.com/different.brains/ https://www.instagram.com/diffbrains/ Check out more episodes of Exploring Different Brains! http://differentbrains.org/category/edb/