Frequently Asked Questions
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See Us In Action Make A DonationWhat does the Salvadori Center do?
What is project-based learning?
When and how were you founded?
How is the Salvadori Center funded?
Have your programs been proven successful?
If my school wants to “do Salvadori,” what are our options?
What does the Salvadori Center do?
One of the most exciting educational programs in New York City, Salvadori Center introduces children to the beauty, wonder and logic of architecture and engineering as a way of helping them to master mathematics, science, arts and the humanities.
Our staff of architect-educators do the following:
- Visit classrooms and support teachers in our core programs;
- Conduct workshops and afterschool programs for school districts, museums, and community organizations
- Immerse teachers in Salvadori methods at our Summer Institute; and
- Provide virtual mentoring to teachers so they can conduct Salvadori lessons independently.
We develop and disseminate classroom-tested curricula for teachers in our programs and for the greater educational community. This includes our:
- Web-based curriculum, such as Lessons from the Salvadori Classrooms, with downloadable materials and in-depth, easy-to-follow instructions, and
- Books and materials available for sale in our Webstore
We involve design and build professionals in:
- Our annual Charrette, which gathers 100 New York City schoolchildren to work with professional architects and engineers on a day-long design and build challenge, and
- Our host of volunteer opportunities which provide businesspeople with a unique avenue to help kids.
Learn more about our Programs and Curriculum and read about happenings at specific schools in our Current Events. (Back To The Top)
What is “project-based learning”?
Project-based learning is first and foremost, learning by doing. Guided by the Chinese proverb “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand”, our teaching methods build on students’ natural curiousity, helping them make new discoveries through guided inquiry.
Salvadori kids build paper towers and bridges and test them to failure as an entry point to deeper explorations in the world of architecture and engineering. Working in small groups, they learn geometry by building bridges out of tongue depressors, trigonometry and aerodynamics by launching model rockets, ratio and proportion by making scale models of their classrooms, writing and speaking by presenting architectural designs in front of their classes or schools. Through project-based learning that exposes them to the practical applications of abstract concepts, students learn to think critically and solve problems. They experience the satisfaction of responding to a challenge with a creative, concete solution. (Back To The Top)
When and how were you founded?
In 1976, Columbia University Professor Mario Salvadori (1907-1997) took up a challenge from the New York Academy of Sciences to do something to improve the teaching of math and science in our middle schools. He volunteered to go into the inner-city middle schools to teach a course based on his book, Why Buildings Stand Up, engaging students in "real world" design and construction activities. His pupils were so responsive and their teachers and administrators so impressed that in 1987 he founded the Salvadori Educational Center on the Built Environment, now the Salvadori Center.
Mario emigrated to New York from his native Italy in 1939 after completing two doctoratal degrees, one in civil engineering and a second in pure mathematics. He first worked as a time-and-motion engineer at Lionel Trains. In 1940 he joined the faculty at Columbia University, retiring in 1990 as the James Renwick Professor of Civil Engineering and a Professor of Architecture. He was a founding partner of Weidlinger Associates, a structural engineering firm where he directed many major projects. Mario wrote many influential textbooks, as well as books for the general public, including Why Buildings Stand Up and Why Buildings Fall Down. Both continue to be bookstore best-sellers.(Back To The Top)
How is the Salvadori Center funded?
We are funded by grants from corporations, private foundations and government agencies, private donations, and income from our educational programs, honoraria, and the sale of our educational materials.
We also have two giving campaigns, the Annual Appeal and the spring Benefit, through which we also raise operating funds.(Back To The Top)
Have your programs proven successful?
The positive impact of our programs ranges from improved test scores to increased self-confidence to expanded career goals. Students show marked improvement on standardized tests after participating in Salvadori, as compared to students not in our programs. They show increased enthusiasm for math and science and gain a tremendous sense of accomplishment from the tangible results of their work. Working on collaborative projects improves their problem-solving and social skills.
Salvadori students develop a respect for learning that opens their eyes to career options they may not have considered before. (Back To The Top)
If my school wants to “do Salvadori,” what are our options?
You have a variety of options:
- Our Core Programs: GLOBE (a three-year intensive integration of the Salvadori pedagogy with a school’s curriculum), Professional Development Workshops, the Educator Institutes (National, “Turbo,”, and Regional), and Programs for Children.
- Lesson Plans from the Salvadori Classrooms: Sixty classroom-tested project-based lessons using the principles of architecture and engineering to deepen a student’s understanding of math, science, the arts, language, and social studies.
- Curriculum Modules: In addition to Lessons from the Salvadori Classrooms, the Center also offers KidsBridges: The Art of Bridge Construction, KidsBridges: Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge, and The Art of Construction (based on Mario Salvadori’s book of the same name).
- Webstore: Buy books, videos, and other materials that can be used in the classroom.
How can I volunteer?
Interactions with professionals open our students’ eyes to careers they may never have considered. You can help by hosting a field trip, visiting a school, participating in our “Ask the Professional” web feature, becoming a classroom “buddy,” joining us at our annual benefit or simply making a donation to help deepen the impact of our programs.
Read more about how you can volunteer in our Volunteer section.
Contact Us to find out more about how you can help us reach as many kids as possible! If you have a great idea about how else you can help or have a question and don’t see it here, please let us know. (Back To The Top)