Hewlett Elementary School fifth-graders design hand prostheses

Fifth grade students in two separate classes at Hewlett Elementary School scurried around room 209 in Kristina Gallagher’s tech design class on Jan. 25 with as much purpose and enthusiasm as the NASA engineers who helped put American astronauts into space.

In the second year of the class, Gallagher, who created the tech course, was again guiding the students through the process of making prosthetic hands with a 3-D printer for children who have what are called “limb differences.” Last school year’s fifth-graders made six hands that were given to Different Heroes, a private, nonprofit group that raises awareness and acceptance of limb differences. It is the parent organization of Hand Challenge, which receives and distributes hundreds of 3-D-printed prosthetic hands to children around the world. This year’s students are making 10 hands.

Adhering to the newest educational philosophy of a teacher being more of a “guide on the side” instead of a “sage on the stage,” Gallagher said, “I’m more of a facilitator of the learning and they become the experts,” adding there is more accountability for the students. As “teacher-experts” the students teach younger peers — the second-, third- and fourth-graders about making the hands.

In both classes, the students worked on their computer-generated presentations, and had their hands taped to learn empathy with a child who cannot use their to hold a pencil, open a door or tie their shoes.

“I’ve learned that there are some people who don’t have fingers or hands and it’s so hard,” said Yvette Borohov, who was very excited to show her presentation to a visitor. “I just love that we are helping people.”

As Borohov showed her presentation, classmate Briana Garcia noted that “animals need prosthetics,” and that the class learned about an alligator that has a prosthetic tail, a bald eagle with a prosthetic and a dolphin also with a prosthetic tail.

Last school year Gallagher’s students not only presented their prosthetic hands to the school, but traveled to Chicago and showed off their handiwork at the International Society for Technology in Education convention.

“I learned many activities and many words,” said Daniel Brailovskiy, as he enthusiastically showed a visitor his presentation, highlighting his new found knowledge of the federal Department of Health and Human Services and all the YouTube links he collected.

Later in the day the students watched the movie “Hidden Figures,” the story of three African-American women who were, until now, an untold story in this country’s space flight history. Combining the lessons learned in tech design and seeing the film will hopefully have these fifth-graders shooting for the moon, and beyond.