The STEAM Learning Quilt project is back this year at NRC!

While the intense PARCC testing took place at NRC this spring, an all NRC STEAM art project begun last year continued to expand into its second year, allowing teachers and students some much needed creativity and flexibility after the rigors of the daily PARCC testing. 

Above NRC teachers gaze at the Learning Board Squares created this year at NRC during PARCC testing and vote for their favorite one. Ms. Gencarelli's class won first prize

Called the "Steam Quilt" last year, this project was re-named the "Steam Learning Board Quilt" this year.  The original idea for this project (created by NRC content area teachers last year during weekly STEAM and arts integration meetings) was for students to try to envision their content areas visually and to create a corresponding visual art work. Teachers felt that this project would facilitate students using the highest level thinking skills from Bloom's Taxonomy: synthesis and evaluation. And indeed it did.

 Above:  Students from Ms. Cruz's Science class created this square to depict their interpretation of mathematics

Each "Steam Learning Board Square" is therefore a visual depiction of the subject (by students) of the content area taught in their classroom, eg math or social studies or language arts.  

 Above:  Students from Ms. Munem's Social Studies class created this square to depict their interpretation of world religions

Interested teachers received art supplies and assistance from WPU Geraldine R. Dodge funded STEAM Art Professor in Residence Triada Samaras who urged these teachers to ask their students to brainstorm and create collaboratively and independently.

     Above:  Students from Ms. Gencarelli's Math Studies class created this square to depict their interpretation of mathematics

Professor Samaras deliberately left this project "open-ended" and encouraged the participating teachers to allow their students to brainstorm, problem-solve, and collaborate on its creation. (See more on this below).  This was a welcome arts integration project for teachers and students in the afternoons following the rigorous and highly structured PARCC testing held in the mornings.

Above:  Students from Ms. Selino's Technology Class created this square to depict their interpretation of their class Mets trip using technology

Above:  Students from Ms. Diaz's Algebra class created this square to depict their interpretation of mathematics

Above:  Students from Ms. Cruz's Science class created this square to depict their interpretation of science

One teacher, NRC Math teacher Ms Pritchard, documented her students in the process of creating their mathematics learning board (pictured below).  She explained to Professor Samaras that in fact these students were highly vested in their project and were not happy with their first attempt at creating a board. They decided to make a second attempt after the first one did not meet their expectations. 

Above Ms Pritchard's students were NOT happy with their first orange colored learning board (below) and insisted on creating a second, final one.

Ms. Pritchard sent Professor Samaras an email explaining: 

"Attached is a picture of the first project that my students completed and two pictures of them working on the new one.  I asked my Steam Team why they wanted to redo their project and these are there responses.

Ms Pritchard: Q: What were you unhappy about with the first board that was created?

1. Kayley: "I didn't like the format.  Things weren't spread out correctly and I didn't like the color combination."
2. Sumaya:  "It was too busy and the colors didn't go together"
3. Mariely: "It was unorganized"
4. Dayana: "Too busy"
   

Mrs. Pritchard replied back to them:  "I don't think the spacing was right.  The content was too close together so it was hard to see which numbers and letters were part of which math topic."

The students agreed. Below is their second learning board with the students' self-selected modifications.  After this board was completed it was obvious to these math students that their problem solving skills could apply to not only mathematics but to art and design!

 Above:  Ms. Pritchard's students created this second learning board

Professor Samaras pointed out to Ms. Pritchard and her students one of the "Ten Lessons the Arts Teach by the late Professor Eliot Eisner:

"The arts teach children that in complex forms of problem solving purposes are seldom fixed, but change with circumstance and opportunity. Learning in the arts requires the ABILITY and a WILLINGNESS to surrender to the unanticipated possibilities of the work as it unfolds." (Eisner)
Next to come:  These new learning boards will be installed in the NRC cafeteria where they will become permanent fixtures on the walls for the NRC community to enjoy! Stay tuned!...