NYSCATE 2022 Presentations
Justin DiMatteo jdimatteo@tburg.k12.ny.us
Rachel Paparone rachelpaparone@gmail.com
Paul Wiech paulwiech@gmail.com
In the Zone: Piloting a STEAM-based Small School Program
Saturday, November 19 • 4:15pm - 5:15pm, Hyatt Grand A
When we ask students about the positive impacts of school, they rarely mention tests, homework, grades, or discipline. Instead, they talk about the impact of important mentors, of memorable and relevant projects prompted by challenging questions, or developing a lifelong passion for a topic or an idea. This is the focus that three of us asked ourselves in the fall of 2021. Our solution was to launch a STEAM-based school-within-a-school that prepares young adults to be lifelong learners by taking control of their learning experience.
In this presentation we will showcase work completed by our first cohort of learners, who currently receive credit for a STEAM elective, a French elective, and a required Equity credit. In addition to sharing our process for launching this initiative, we will use student voices and examples of student work to explain how we structure our time together, how we create a strong learning community that fosters joy and creativity, and how we ensure that student outcomes reflect NYS World Language Standards, ISTE standards, and Learning for Justice’s Social Justice Standards.
Why, What and How of ePortfolios!
Sunday, November 20 • 11:15am - 12:15pm, Rochester Riverside, Highland J
Often when we think of assessment, we forget that it's not designed for the teacher. Ultimately, if we want students to become self-directed learners, we need an assessment/feedback method that allows students to show where they started and where they ended up. ePortfolios allow us to see a student’s learning evolution along with student-selected learning highlights and self-reflections..
Students curate their own work and share what they have learned in the journey of learning. Besides, the act of creating a portfolio becomes a transferable skill that students can use with future creative endeavors. For this type of portfolio, we encourage students to think about the process with a lens of growth and mastery. Students also look at what they learned along the way and what future steps they want to take.
Learner-Led STEAM through GIG Boards & Design
Sunday, November 20 • 1:30pm - 2:30pm, Hyatt, Grand C
Skip the edu-jargon and celebrate the fact that #KidsCan. Both elementary and high school students are self-selecting projects and showcasing more than their talents, but also their learning. Based on empathy and design, Gig Boards are a great way to involve the entire school community in meaningful projects that build meaningful skills. Whether we are designing for peers, teachers, community, or for social change, we build a culture of learning through community, wonder, creation, and play. Join us as we showcase student work, share our process, and share ideas to start your own Gig Board at your school.
STEAM in the Humanities
Sunday, November 20 • 2:45pm - 3:45pm, Rochester Riverside, Highland J
Combining STEAM with humanities and social sciences does not always seem like a natural fit. However, STEAM-based build challenges can provide a simple and relatively quick way to build interdisciplinary collaboration. Our students in World Languages classes and ELA classes regularly use STEAM as a way to generate ideas, reinforce vocabulary, and amplify their voices. In this workshop, participants will experience what our students experience: they will collaborate with one another in a STEAM-based build challenge with a choice of prompts specifically anchored in Social Studies and ELA curriculum from each school level: elementary, middle, and high. As part of this workshop, participants will also experiment with ways that media can be used to flip the writing process, treating writing as one possible avenue towards self-expression.
Participants will leave with an actionable project plan as well as strategies and resources for simple ways to incorporate different STEAM pathways into Humanities courses that can be adapted for multiple grade levels.
Teach Less, Learn More; a Story of Elementary STEAM
Monday November 21, 2:45pm - 3:45pm, Hyatt, Regency B
Creation, learning, and joy often apply only to parts of the school day. In our learning environment Creation, Learning, and Joy define the STEAM program. We invite all learners as collaborators and provide as many collaborative learning opportunities as possible. Join us as we explore the why and how of elementary STEAM and celebrate a culture of learning through community wonder, creation, and play. We are happy to share how we learned from our failures so that together we all walk away with ideas and next steps to help bring creation, learning, and joy to every child, every day.
The Sweet and Sticky of Maple Syrup
Tuesday, November 22 • 11:15am - 12:15pm, Rochester Riverside, Highland E
Hear how five seniors with a mild interest in the syruping process became the catalyst for what we hope becomes a K-12 experiential learning opportunity. Our first year saw students successfully engage in the grant writing process, recruit community businesses to sponsor our vision, build a reverse osmosis filter, sell the syrup on the school store and collaborate with our French program.
Listen to this story and our plans for incorporating English, History and Science into this school-wide event and use it to help build our Farm-to-School program.