Tactile Teaching Tools with Guided Inquiry Learning

Tactile teaching tools (TTTs) are intentionally and inclusively designed 3D biological puzzles that are paired with guided inquiry classroom activities. These activities guide groups of students through their interaction with the TTT, beginning with defining and exploring the parts, and finally experimenting and predicting what happens when the system is perturbed. These models can be 3D printed or created with craft materials, and can vary from simple to very complex.

The pairing of the 3D model with the guided inquiry activity takes advantage of the constructivist base of Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) while shifting from 2D to 3D representations, engaging multiple sensory inputs, and including students with sensory disabilities.

In addition to the ability to create custom molecular interaction puzzles, 3D printing makes it possible to incorporate UDL in the design process. TTTs can be designed with multiple means of representation; for example, an output can be simulated by a light, a sound, a vibration, or all three. More basic TTTs can be designed so that information that is represented by different colors is also represented by different textures. Moreover, online Braille translators such as touchsee.me convert any text into a 3D-printable STL file in Braille, allowing written information (e.g., nucleotide or amino acid abbreviations) to be added to the model in Braille (https://stembuild.ncsu.edu/resource/amino-acid-models-with-braille-v1/). By making these models inclusive by design, we aim to enhance the learning experience for all students.