Next Steps

Yesterday, was the last workshop for the year long project Art of Science Learning. The last task was the same as the first task we had to complete during the first workshop March 2013.

We were given a box of stuff (pipe cleaners, ribbon, blocks, clay, wire, feathers, etc.) and had to use these items to describe our team project in a process called Metaphorming.

My team, Team V (the letter, not the Roman numeral) created an arts infused STEM curriculum teaching jr. high students with the theme of Transportation. Transportation was the subject chosen by the city of Worcester. Our creation had to be innovative. Our trial lesson was to teach the children the consequences of multi-tasking, such as texting and driving. The children simulated driving by carrying a ball on a spoon. If the ball dropped as they moved around, that signaled an accident. The innovation was teaching without the use of electronic technology. This meant the lesson could be done in the poorest of school districts as the cost of materials was minimal.

Using metaphorming, we had to answer the questions: What have you learned about your ideas? and What are your next steps?

Team V's story began with a group of members represented by feathers. We had a rough patch in the beginning as we lost some team members. You can see the feathers blew off the foam core. The remaining members (popsicle sticks, beads) took some time to regroup. We skidded to a halt and spun our wheels (the curly wire). Eventually, we came together as a team and supported one another (the block tower) as we dove into the project (pink diving bunny). At first our ideas were grand and spun out of control (the ribbbon). We began to simplify our idea (the blue pipe cleaner). We gained another team mate ( pipe cleaner box and orange pipe cleaner arro)who brought some perspective to the project so we could write and test the lesson (ball and spoon and crashed vehicle).

Some of the teams will be launching businesses based on their projects. Team V members agreed we are done.

It was a loooooong project. We didn't really know how much "free" time would have to be donated to reach the end. There was a lot of frustration involved trying to coordinate schedules and refine ideas. Many of us came close to dropping out along the way, but we managed, and finished the project.