![Making Meaning [M2] conference.
October 1, 2012.
A Maker Education Initiative organized by the New York Hall of Science.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mb9vclmno81qj2bm8o1_500.jpg)
Making Meaning [M2] conference.
October 1, 2012.
A Maker Education Initiative organized by the New York Hall of Science.
LOOK WHAT’S COMING TO WORLD MAKER FAIRE - Courtesy of NYSCI’s Playworks blog, we encountered Deren at last week’s Mini Maker Faire in Pittsburgh. She’ll be with us in NYC this weekend
Check out Deren Guler this weekend at World Maker Faire. I got to speak with Deren at Pittsburgh’s Mini Maker Faire (9/22) about FLOAT, a participatory art/design project that co-builds air quality sensing kites. Deren just returned from Beijing where she partnered with master kite builders to lead three workshops for local residents to build their own air quality sensors and kites to fly together. She is interested to see how this project can be applied in different contexts. We are hoping Deren will make a guest appearance in an upcoming Little Makers to help us build air quality sensing kites here at NYSCI.
Tips for Teachers
The final post in our back-to-school tips for teachers comes courtesy of Scott Wayne Indiana, a Content Developer in NYSCI’s Design Lab:
I taught high school math for ten years and the first day of every class involved very little math. I wanted to get to know the students as individuals, as fellow humans. I wanted to hear from each of them. The seeds for the classroom community were planted and we grew from there.
See the complete series of teacher tips here.
For more teacher resources all year long, visit Teachers TryScience.
Tips for Teachers
Our next back-to-school tip for teachers comes courtesy of Deliz Vasquez, a fifth grade teacher in Hunts Point:
One thing which I find very helpful is having a “Best Practice” notebook when I visit classrooms, attend meetings, conferences, or professional development. This way I can implement some strategies in my own classroom.
See the complete series of teacher tips here.
For more teacher resources all year long, visit Teachers TryScience.
Teacher Tips
Week two of the school year! We kick off with another installment of back-to-school tips from teachers for teachers. Today, from Amanda Solarsh, 7th Grade science teacher at Simon Baruch Middle School:
Revamp rules, routines and procedures and rethinking classroom setup to start fresh.
Tips for Teachers
Our third installment of back-to-school tips from teachers for teachers, courtesy of Gina Tesoriero, 7th Grade Special Education teacher at Simon Baruch Middle School:
One thing that I like to do to prepare for the upcoming year is to identify one thing that I did well last year and one thing I would like to improve. This way I can set a professional goal for the school year and start thinking about how I will hold myself accountable.
Tips for Teachers, from Teachers
Today’s back-to-school tips courtesy of Jill Fonda, teacher at The Beacon School:
While I’m by no means a veteran teacher (this will only be my fourth
year), I’m happy to share some of my thoughts for the high school teachers
out there:
—Smile. A lot of teachers will be super-strict the first few months of
school to ensure that students don’t take advantage, but personally, I’ve
always found that warmth and kindness go a long way in garnering student
respect and forging meaningful relationships.
—Leave first-day procedures for the second day (or even third!) if you
can, and do something fun and student-centered instead. It’ll get the
kids talking about your class with their peers and their parents, and
they’ll be ready to take on the syllabus and the information index cards
with a bit more zeal. This year, I’m going to try the Oreo Challenge on
our first day back: the students will have to determine if double-stuffed
Oreos are really double-stuffed. There’s an added bonus in that I’ll be
able to assess my students’ lab skills without giving a scary diagnostic
exam!
Day One: Buy-in, Breathe, Begin
It’s back-to-school season! To all the educators out there, welcome back and good luck. To kick off the year, NYSCI asked some of our teacher collaborators for tips and tricks that set the tone for a successful (and sane) school year.
We’ll check in a few times over the next few days. If you want more classroom resources from these teachers, all of them are also contributors to Teachers TryScience, a resource for lesson plans, videos, and other resources brought to you by NYSCI, IBM and Teach Engineering. And you can always sign up NYSCI content designed specifically for educators at my.nysci.org
Our first bit of advice comes from Veronica Pastore, a P4K teacher at PS65 in Brooklyn:
LOOK WHAT’S COMING TO WORLD MAKER FAIRE - Color Wheelz is an art making and visual narrative experience to promote public engagement on the streets of NYC. The Color Wheelz van travels the five boroughs (and beyond) collecting artworks and stories along the way. At each destination, visitors add their personal touches to the van, using neon wire, cling paper, velcro shapes, magnets and fabric in a playful exploration of how color relates to community. Visitors of all ages are welcome and encouraged to create things they never thought they would or never thought they could.
See more of what’s coming to World Maker Faire here.
LOOK WHAT’S COMING TO WORLD MAKER FAIRE - Hand-painted, utilitarian, durable, individualized. Belle Helmets have as much character as the cyclists who don them.
See more of what’s coming to World Maker Faire here.
