Learning All Year Long: Faculty Professional Development
F
ay teachers love learning, and this summer many Fay teachers used generous grants provided by endowed funds and the Parents’ Association to explore new ideas and prepare for the fall by becoming students themselves. Here are some examples of projects funded by the Faculty Enrichment Fund, Curriculum Innovation Grants, and Fay’s Professional Development budget:
Focus on Mathematics Learning Center teacher Elizabeth Senecal spent a week at Mount Holyoke College’s Developing Mathematical Ideas program studying the best ways to explain whole numbers and fractions.
Art as a Teaching Tool: Pre-Kindergarten teacher Lauren Roby took two art classes: a drawing course and a photography course. The courses have helped her guide students as they work on their own art, and she has been applying her photography skills to document children’s learning.
Digital Literacy: Library Director Sharon Lux attended the University of Rhode Island’s Summer Institute in Digital Literacy. Sharon has incorporated what she learned about new media into a new class for seventh graders called Information Literacy. Cross-Country Research: Upper School teachers Tim McCauley (science) and Emily McCauley (history) prepared for their interdisciplinary course Diagnosing the Modern World (DMW) with a cross-country trip to visit farmers, wind energy installations, national parks, and dams. This year’s DMW course focuses on topics related to food and energy.
iTunes U: English Department Chair Paul Abeln, Math Department Chair Julie Porrazzo, History Department Chair Bruce Chauncey, and history teacher John Beloff received innovation grants to develop online versions of their courses using iTunes U. These courses provide a digital text that teachers can adapt to meet the needs of the students in their classes.
Design Thinking Workshops Seven Fay teachers spent a week in Cambridge at NuVu Studios, an MIT spin-off that teaches design thinking to students and educators. Director of Innovation Peter Fearey, Science Department Chair Tim McCauley, Math Department Chair Julie Porrazzo, English Department Chair Paul Abeln, Lower School science teacher Cecilia Owens, Kindergarten teacher Katie Zerega, and Primary School science teacher Jennifer Telles learned about some of the technologies we added to the Innovation Lab this year. Thanks to a gift from the Parents’ Association, the school has purchased a laser cutter, which enables teachers and students to quickly prototype and test design ideas. Using similar equipment at NuVu, Fay teachers created an electronic talking moose that reminds students of things they need to do, a fishing rod holder that alerts people when fish are on the line, a coffee cup holder that keeps itself level, and a new set of manipulatives that students can use to create art.
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