Dwight School + Marymount School
Learning Design, Curriculum Development, Makerspace Design, Teaching
Overview
During my time at Marymount School, I managed and developed the high school Makerspace, created and taught new elective courses, collaborated with K-12 subject area teachers, and taught afterschool 3-8 STEAM classes.
At Dwight School, I created the school’s first Makerspace, redesigned the 6-8 STEAM curriculum, taught classes, created daily Open Studio hours when students could come and work on passion projects, hosted Fashion Design Club, and collaborated with 6-12 subject area teachers.
Class Highlight: Digital Design and Fabrication
Students engage in the Idea Lab at Marymount School for the first time, transforming computer programs into digital plans and then into physical objects.
Example Project: Algorithmic Quilt
Cotton fabric, cotton batting, thread
This project explores new forms of classroom collaboration between students through a community-created quilt enriched with digital tools and machines. Beginning as an exercise in creating a democratic classroom, students proposed and voted on color schemes and layouts for the class quilt. Using the visual programming language TurtleStitch, students coded three original works of art generated by an algorithm of their own imagining. Students embroidered the designs onto fabric and combined their designs to create a quilt. Additional quilt squares were cut on a laser cutter and the quilt was finished by hand. Throughout the process, students sought feedback on their designs from their peers, divided tasks up among themselves, and assisted one another in learning new tools whenever possible.
Dwight School Curriculum Revamp
The Problem
Students at Dwight are disengaged in Design, Technology, and Engineering (DT&E) classes. High teacher turnover means that there is no consistent curriculum. Students and parents have complained about the classes. Projects are not hands-on or varied and largely focus on graphic design with some coding.
The Process
After interviewing students, administrators, and teachers, I synthesized these key needs:
Hand-on projects
Real-world relevance
21st Century Skill Building
Connection to existing IB Curriculum and Framework
Exposure to many areas of DT&E
The Solution
An IB-aligned Middle School Curriculum that empowers students to “try out” many different fields of DT&E, while building the skills they need to solve relevant problems. The curriculum is reinforced by interdisciplinary collaborations and Open Studio Project time.
Collaboration Highlight: The Met Project
Ninth Grade students chose an artwork from the Met Museum’s collection to research and reimagine as an original piece of art. Students created clothing, videos, animations, paintings, sculptures, musical compositions, and interactive devices.
Collaboration with Humanities and Visual Arts
Photos of Student Projects
