Space in Schools - Science and Dance in Your Classroom

LOCATION: Marymount School of NY, 115 E 97th St, Manhattan (between Park Ave. and Lexington Ave.)

DATE & TIME: Tuesday, July 14, 2026, 9am - 1:30pm

• Workshop runs 9am - 12pm
• Lunch and film screening 12-1:30pm

LED BY: Dr. Joanne Pledger (she/her) and Ruth Spencer (she/her), bios below

CTLE AVAILABLE: 3

THIS WORKSHOP IS FOR: teachers/educators who work with upper elementary and middle school.

What if your students could become the solar system by modeling the motions of orbits, or understand the motion of the Sun by exploring shadows? In this highly interactive workshop, you will explore how to bring space science to life through dance and embodied learning. We are welcoming Joanne and Ruth (bios below) from the University of Lancashire in the UK who developed Into Our Skies: Space in Schools in a collaboration of astronomical research and dance. They will introduce you to the building blocks of dance and guide you through an engaging, practical process that connects key scientific concepts (like motion, gravity, and celestial phenomena) to physical expression. You’ll be up and moving during the session, experiencing the learning as your students would—while also having flexible ways to participate if movement is limited.

Designed for upper elementary and middle school classrooms, this workshop requires no prior dance experience (for you or the students!), and models an inclusive, cross-curricular approach that integrates science with the arts. You will develop strategies for implementing the Space in Schools curriculum, and ideas for creating your own dance-based lessons and units about other subjects, while considering how to make the movements and content accessible for all learners. By the end, you’ll leave with practical tools, resources and inspiration to help your students experience space science in dynamic, memorable, and meaningful ways.

This is a workshop that will involve movement. Plan to wear comfortable clothes, sensible shoes and bring water. We welcome all who are interested in learning the curriculum, and if you do have any restrictions or questions, please feel free to email Brian Levine, Program Director at STEMteachersNYC, at [email protected].

Space in Schools is part of our Midsummer Marymount Minis day! This workshop will run from 9am - 12pm, after which we will have a film screening and lunch. The afternoon will feature additional workshops to choose from.

And a big thank you to the University of Lancashire for funding Joanne and Ruth to come visit and share. Due to the University’s generosity, we can offer this workshop at a steep discount.

A downloadable version of the agenda is available here.

Dr. Joanne Pledger (she/her) is a UK-based astrophysicist with significant professional ties to New York’s scientific landscape. I held a Hilary Lipsitz Research Fellowship at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) beginning in 2010, where I conducted research on the progenitors of supernovae using the Hubble Space Telescope and contributed to the Museum’s after‑school education and public outreach programmes. This experience has shaped my long‑standing approach to engaging diverse audiences with cutting‑edge astronomy which I now continue at Alston Observatory in the UK.

Now a Reader (Associate Professor) in Astrophysics at the University of Lancashire, I combine internationally recognised research expertise in stellar explosions with over a decade of leadership in science communication. My astronomy research has spanned major international observatories and collaborations, whilst the education project “Space in Schools” with Ruth has produced an award-winning (Times Higher Awards, 2023) schools programme that adopts a cross-curricular approach to bring space science directly into the classroom and engage and inspire all pupils irrespective of ability or background.

Ruth Spencer (she/her) is a UK‑based dance artist, educator, and practitioner‑researcher with over 35 years of experience working across higher education, elementary, secondary, and special education settings. I am a Senior Lecturer in Dance (equivalent to Associate Professor) at the University of Lancashire, where my work focuses on creative pedagogy, embodied learning, and teacher professional development.

I am a highly experienced and respected leader in UK dance education, having designed and delivered creative arts programs, teacher professional development (PD), and long‑term mentoring for educators across a wide range of school contexts. My work is grounded in a commitment to inclusive, high‑quality arts education, and I regularly advise national organisations, such as English National Ballet, on the design and delivery of impactful dance education initiatives.

In collaboration with Joanne, I am co‑developer of the award‑winning Space in Schools program, which integrates dance, movement, and space science to support meaningful cross‑curricular learning.

is celebrating 15 years! Since 2011, we have delivered professional development workshops for teachers, by teachers, about teaching. We are an approved CTLE and NYCPS MTAC vendor. All workshops over 2hrs offer CTLE. Below is some important information, but please see our official on our website for full details and policies.

Pricing: workshop/event pricing reflects a desire to offer affordable professional learning experiences. Some workshops are subsidized and offered at a discount or for free. Some workshops include extra materials costs. Often, there is both a “Full Price” ticket for people who can pay full price and for schools/organizations paying for their staff to attend, and a “Teacher Price” ticket for teachers/educators paying out of pocket. If price is a barrier to your participation, please keep reading for several options.

CUNY & other partner campus pre-service students: If you are training to be a teacher, we want to welcome you to attend our workshops for free! Please email [email protected] for details and to see if you qualify.

Want to pay by invoice or purchase order? We encourage you to ask your school or organization if this is a possibility. Please see the for the process, which includes a template letter with messaging geared towards administrators.

Are there discounts available? Often, yes!

• Discounted Early Bird and “Teacher Price” tickets are often available.
• Each summer, the Wanninkhof Excellence in Teaching Scholarship provides up to 2 free workshops per teacher in TItle 1 or similar schools.
• Specials and discounts are announced on our social media (@STEMteachersNYC on Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and Facebook), and in our Weekly Newsletter – sign up here.
• We partner with several organizations and CUNY to offer free tickets to teachers and pre-service teachers involved.
• If at any time price is a barrier to you purchasing a ticket, please contact us at [email protected]

Refunds, cancellations, and other registration/ticketing policies or changes: Please see the full for details and policies.

Please note: We take screenshots, photographs and record video of our workshops in order to publicize a positive image of science teaching, and of STEMteachersNYC – a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization – and to support future teacher leaders. If you register, you are agreeing to be photographed and to have your voice and image video-recorded. You are also agreeing to relinquish all your rights to the photographs and video recordings.

If you do not wish to be photographed or video-recorded – you must inform us before the workshop starts. For in-person workshops, we may take one photograph of your face so that we can erase your image if we happen to catch it by chance during the workshop, and we will do our best to avoid you.

Have more questions? Please see the full for further details and policies, or contact us directly:

• Registration or ticketing questions - [email protected]
• Questions about invoice/PO issues - [email protected]
• Any other questions - [email protected]

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Marymount School of New York, 115 East 97th Street, New York, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

Get App