7th Annual New Jersey PDS Conference Features STEAM Efforts

The 7th Annual New Jersey Professional Development Schools Conference held on June 2, 2016 at William Paterson University featured speaker Travis Allen, founder and president of iSchool Initiative.  Mr. Allen’s keynote speech, “Becoming a Lifelong Learner,” was thoroughly enjoyed by the gathering of WPU administrators and professors, and PDS principals and teachers.

 The keynote address was followed by three breakout sessions, two of which focused upon STEAM.  

 

Art PIR Simone Sandler and School 2 second grade teacher Belinda Casais McBride (pictured at left) jointly presented “STEAM on the Cheap: Lessons Using Repurposed Styrofoam.” Ms. Sandler’s and Ms. Casais McBride’s presentation presented projects that encourage and motivate students to ask thought-provoking questions and to work creatively to problem-solve.  On a practical note, these lessons can be done with inexpensive materials, such as the Styrofoam lunch trays that are thrown away every day.

Below Ms. Sander describes and demonstrates some of the lessons in which she and the School 2 teachers have engaged.

 Ms Casais McBride has been a member of School 2’s STEAM team since 2012, the first year of WPU’s Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation grant.  She recently completed her work a to obtain her M. Ed. and Principal’s Certificate through WPU’s USDOE Leaders as Learners Grant, and has stated that when she becomes a principal, her school will be a STEAM school.

Art PIR Triada Samaras, art teacher Monica Aramayo, and art teacher Wendy Roche presented “Using the PDS/PIR Model to Enhance Collaboration across Content Areas.”  This hands-on workshop demonstrated how the art of paper sculpture can be used to reinforce concepts and vocabulary, and increase student engagement and achievement.  Paper sculpture was used effectively at New Roberto Clemente Community Middle School during this school year.  A major work entitled ”Racimo” resulted from the collaborative efforts of Science, Math, Technology, ELA, ESL, and Art classes, and was displayed at the Paterson Museum Student Art Exhibition held during the month of March.

Raw material for the sculpture was collected as conference participants arrived for the morning session.  Below, Professor Samaras and art teachers Aramayo and Roche greet participants and request that they put their name and affiliation on a paper strip.  These strips were later used in the workshop.

 

 At left, participants plan how to produce the paper sculpture created using the paper strips.

 At right, Dr. JoAnn Cardillo, Superintendent of Passaic Valley Regional High School, enjoys her STEAM experience.