BRIDGES: Build, Research, Invent, Design, Grow and Explore through Science
The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and the Salvadori Center partner in providing BRIDGES [Build, Research, Invent, Design, Grow and Explore through Science], an after-school program using investigations of the built environment to introduce and reinforce STEM concepts and skills. The program highlights engineering concepts and the design process through hands-on investigations of the built environment done in small groups (with an emphasis on collaborative learning). It is co-taught by Salvadori educators in partnership with NYCHA community center instructors. After an intensive 3-day institute to train NYCHA staff, Salvadori staff members meet weekly with the housing authority staff to provide coaching in facilitation skills and to co-teach projects on building scaled bridges, mapping neighborhoods, investigating tension and compression, and more. In subsequent years, NYCHA after-school instructors take over the teaching with on-going support/professional development from the Center.
The target audience is young people 8-12 years old enrolled in after-school programs run by the New York City Housing Authority, who gain content understanding and self concept in terms of their attitude and interest in STEM learning. BRIDGES begins with 5 sites serving 150 children in its first year with five sites added annually. By Year 5, BRIDGES serves 625 children at 25 NYCHA community centers. In addition in Years 4 and 5, the project is disseminated in at least two municipalities outside of NYC. In all 775 youth and 60 after-school educators will be directly impacted by this new program. The strategic impact is to provide strategies and evidence of support necessary for effective scale up of this locally successful program and for bringing school-based materials associated with the project into the after-school time experience. A project book, summative evaluation by The After School Corporation (TASC), and a website will be shared with the field on line, through conference presentations, and publications.
The Salvadori Center was founded by Dr. Mario Salvadori (1907-1997), Columbia Professor of Civil Engineering & Architecture, in collaboration with City College of New York Schools of Education and Architecture. Its mission is to stimulate and deepen young people's curiosity and knowledge about math, science, arts and the humanities by using the built environment as an entry point for learning. For over 20 years, the Center has offered research-based teacher development and support, including intensive training institutes, workshops and classroom mentoring programs focused on project-based learning. The Center has reached over 125,000 students in New York City public schools, and its books, videos, and construction kits have been distributed nationally and internationally. The Centers staff are all professionally trained architects, engineers, and science and fine arts teachers.
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE The Salvadori Center designed the BRIDGES: Build, Research, Invent, Design, Grow, & Explore through Science program to improve student comprehension of grade-specific math and science concepts by using the buildings, bridges and communities that surround us. All of Salvadori's programs use a collaborative, hands-on project-based approach to learning STEAM (science, technology, engineering, architecture, and math) concepts. BRIDGES is designed so that every student can succeed while experiencing the contributions of their teammates and learning broader STEAM applications. All too often, we hear students ask, "Why do I need to know this?" They question the relevance of math and science to their lives and their futures. Salvadori programs give students the tools they need to answer this question for themselves. Through hands-on projects and personal exploration, students see the math and science within the classes they enter, the bridges they cross, the parks in their neighborhoods, and the buildings they see every day. After participating in a Salvadori program, thousands of students see their world differently. They not only understand how buildings stand up or why bridges can carry such heavy loads…they understand "why they need to know this" and how math and science is a part of their everyday lives. Salvadori's BRIDGES program was designed specifically for students living in the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and the housing authorities of New Haven and Bridgeport, Connecticut. Over the past six years, Salvadori delivered 208 after-school programs to 1,560 students. Salvadori started by offering 12 programs to 4 NYCHA Community Centers in 2008 and grew to include 54 programs in 27 centers in 2012 & 2013 (25 NYCHA Community Centers plus centers in Bridgeport and New Haven, Connecticut). The BRIDGES after-school program not only served students most in need and at-risk but made learning accessible and fun while reinforcing in-school learning objectives. Salvadori realized its commitment to serving a broad spectrum of students by offering programs in all five boroughs of New York City plus 2 sites in Connecticut. Salvadori reinforced community buy-in by hiring Educators and Assistants from within the communities we served and by providing curriculum-specific training for all our staff and Community Center Directors. Salvadori's Management Team conducted regular on-site evaluations, provided weekly progress reports, and maintained open communication with on-site partners to ensure the highest quality experience. Quick Facts - BRIDGES: served 1,560 students in six years provided 208 programs in public housing community centers (each program included 12, 90-minute sessions for students between 8 and 12 years old) served on averaged 15 students per class provided an impressive 28,080 student impact hours covered topics such as: Skyscrapers; Bridges; Skateparks; Green Design; Landmarks, Monuments & Memorials; and Engineering Cities aligned with National Common Core Standards and grade-specific learning objectives promoted critical and creative thinking as well as an increased understanding of broader STEAM applications taught students to defend ideas while working in teams to solve real-world problems Independent Assessment shows Significant Impact! The independent assessment report conducted by Youth Studies, Inc. (YSI) for the fall 2012 Skyscrapers BRIDGES curriculum ~ Skyscrapers ~ showed significant impact on student learning and interest in STEAM careers. Assessments were conducted across participating program sites for the fall semester of the BRIDGES program; the following are key highlights from YSI’s evaluation of the Skyscrapers curriculum (YSI’s independent assessment of the spring 2013 curriculum ~ Skateparks ~ is slated to be released by late summer 2013): A total of 340 students participated in YSI’s assessment of the fall 2012 Skyscrapers curriculum; 87% of students assessed were enrolled in Grades 3 through 6; 51% were female, and 85% self-identified as "Black" or "Hispanic/Latino." BRIDGES participants demonstrated a statistically significant increase in their comprehension of scale and proportion concepts relevant to the Skyscrapers curriculum. BRIDGES participants demonstrated a significant increase in their confidence that they can be successful in math and science as measured by the Fennema-Sherman Attitudes Scale (a math and science attitude scale that has been used extensively in education research). BRIDGES participants demonstrated a significant increase in their motivation to pursue educational and career choices in math and science as measured by the assessment items from the Programme for International Student Assessment. BRIDGES participants demonstrated a significant increase in their knowledge of core engineering, design, and architecture concepts relevant to the Skyscrapers curriculum. The BRIDGES after-school program would not have been possible without the generous support of the National Science Foundation. For more information about the Salvadori Center or the BRIDGES program, please go to the Salvadori Center's web site www.salvadori.org or contact us at TheCenter@Salvadori.org ~ a BRIDGES Project Book detailing the program is available as a free download. Thank you, Kenneth Jones Executive Director/NSF Principal Investigator The Salvadori Center
