Led by Allison Levine, Coordinator of Creation Lab and STEAM Integration, elementary and middle school students are exploring key design thinking mindsets through various hands-on projects in our Creation Lab. They focus on designing with the client in mind and incorporating feedback into iterative design processes. By practicing these skills, students engage with real-world design practices, develop empathy, enhance communication skills, and learn to balance creativity with constraints.
In the 5th Grade DigiArts class, students took on a unique challenge: designing custom video game controllers for their peers. They interviewed their classmates to understand what makes a compelling and functional controller, gathering insights to guide their designs. Using Makey Makey circuit boards, they created working prototypes and applied their knowledge of conductive materials to ensure functionality. At the end of the project, clients tested the controllers while playing classic games like Snake and Pacman, providing detailed feedback that the designers used to refine their next iterations.
Last month, 4th Grade students collaborated in their Creation Lab and Hebrew classes to produce a stop-motion animation celebrating the miracle of Chanukah. Each student group was assigned a Hebrew phrase related to the holiday by their Hebrew teachers. Allison Levine introduced the technique of stop-motion animation and taught students how to use iPads and paper cutouts to create the illusion of movement.
Each group planned an animation based on their assigned phrase and created paper cutouts to reflect their theme. Students took turns moving the cutouts and directing the animation process. Finally, they recorded voiceovers of themselves reading the Hebrew phrases. They were thrilled to share the results of their creativity, teamwork, and Hebrew language skills!
In the elementary division, students have been connecting literacy and design by using fictional characters as clients. By analyzing evidence from texts, students empathized with their characters’ wants and needs and designed prototypes to address specific problems. They shared their creations with classmates and reflected on ways to improve their designs.
While the math and science curricula in middle school include exciting opportunities for students to solve real-world problems, use robots, and utilize various hardware and software in the Creation Lab and classrooms, our Digital Arts and After School Program classes provide additional opportunities for middle school students to develop their creative and technological skills.
Allison Levine’s extensive background in teaching and coaching educators in science, coding, design thinking, and technology integration has significantly elevated our program, and we are looking forward to “A Week of Coding” coming to the Elementary Division at the end of February.
Read more about Rodeph Sholom School’s Creation Lab and STEAM Integration here.