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Middle-school teacher and students showcase Project Lead the Way hands-on STEM work
Summary
Rockport middle-school engineering teacher Ali Favaza and several students described Project Lead the Way classes that emphasize hands-on engineering, documentation and collaboration; students presented projects including fabric-strength tests, ice-cream thermodynamics and electromagnets and said the program inspired high-school course take-up.
Ali Favaza, the middle-school engineering and computer-science teacher, told the Rockport School Committee that this is the first year the district has implemented Project Lead the Way at the middle school and praised its structure for career exposure and student documentation. "This program incorporates that in a really timely organized manner," Favaza said, adding that the curriculum pushes students to plan and record their work in ways that mirror professional engineering practice.
Several students described class projects and what they learned. "We tested the strength of different fabrics," student Vanessa said. Sixth-grader Abby Base said the ice-cream project — in which students used salt to lower the freezing temperature — was collaborative and instructive: "We used salt to lower the freezing temperature, and I loved working as a team." A seventh-grader described building circuits and electromagnets, while another student said the app-creation unit helped problem solving and teamwork.
Committee members asked about homework, continuity between middle and high school, and classroom resources. Favaza said the program has helped connect middle-school work to high-school pathways and expressed excitement about a feeder relationship that could lead more students to take high-school engineering courses. Committee member Amy Oakes asked whether students had homework that reinforced learning; students and Favaza described short, applied assignments and in-class planning work.
Students and staff also raised classroom-resource concerns. Several student speakers and alumni noted that last year—s workshop space included tools and dedicated work areas that are currently reduced in the new room. A junior who credited a high-school teacher with inspiration said the middle-school experience motivated him to try high-school engineering courses.
The committee thanked the students and Favaza for the presentation and for organizing in-class demonstrations. The district indicated it will continue to consider classroom needs as the program grows.
