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The Bridge |
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Newsletter of the Salvadori Center - Fall 2006 |
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Salvadori Center Names A New Executive Director - Dr. Ardizzone started her education career as a middle and high school science teacher working primarily with high-risk youth in Seattle, Ithaca, and New York City. She holds an M.Ed in Science Education from Western Washington University, and an Ed.D. in International Educational Development from Columbia University’s, Teachers College. Her doctoral concentration was in Peace Education – an area that examines the root causes of violence and seeks to address them via education. The underlying values of peace education – planetary stewardship, humane relationships, and global citizenship – pervade every aspect of her work in education and she brings this perspective to the Salvadori Center. Directly prior to joining Salvadori, Dr. Ardizzone was a tenure-track professor at Adelphi University and Fordham University. At both institutions she taught courses in educational philosophy, psychology and sociology, curriculum development, and science education. Dr. Ardizzone has published her work in Current Issues in Comparative Education, Peace & Change, Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education, and has upcoming articles in International Journal of Science Education and Young Children. In the past year, she has published chapters in four books and next year SUNY Press will release her book based on her work with NYC youth, Gettin’ My Word Out: Voices of Urban Youth Activists. |
 Enriching the Teaching of Mathematics - During the month of July, twenty-seven students in CCNY’s School of Education secondary graduate teacher certification program participated in a newly designed course based on the Salvadori pedagogy. “Enriching the Teaching of Mathematics,” taught by Salvadori Executive Director Lorraine Whitman and Jonathan Katz of the Institute for Student Achievement, was designed to provide teachers with concepts and activities that would improve math instruction in their classrooms. Whitman and Katz broke the month-long curriculum into four units. “Measurement” touched on such topics as scale, perimeter and area, 2-D floor plans, and 3-D model making. “Patterns” investigated the golden ratio and Fibonacci numbers in nature and the built world. “Geometric and Analytic Modes of Thinking” challenged students to solve real-world problems through mathematics, and “Bridges” illustrated the interplay between forces and form. In addition to keeping journals throughout the course, participants put together portfolios to document their growth as learners and teachers, and made formal presentations in front of panels of instructors and peers. Cassandra Garner stated that “of all the math education classes I have taken since becoming a teaching fellow, this course has been the most useful to me as a math teacher.” She continued: “This course forced me to put myself in my students’ shoes and attempt tasks far outside of my comfort zone. As a result, I now have more insight about how to make my lessons more engaging so that my students can begin to really enjoy math.” Akbar Khan thought the course “ innovative” and enjoyed “being challenged intellectually.” Angela Jarvis, energized by the course, felt that she could use the material to “enrich the teaching/learning of mathematics” in her classroom, and Michael Armstrong found that the skills learned in the course can also have “applications in other disciplines.” To find out more about the course and its materials and activities, contact Dr. Lorraine Whitman at thecenter@salvadori.org. |
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 Professional Development for Teachers - The Center held its annual Salvadori Educators Institute from August 7 to 11 and August 14 to 18. The Institute educates teachers working in Salvadori school programs in the techniques of project-based learning. During the first week, teachers new to Salvadori learned how to apply basic architecture and engineering principles to their work in the classroom. Daily challenges took them down to small-scale model-building and moved them up to detailed structural investigations of the Brooklyn Bridge. In the second week, the new teachers were joined by veteran Salvadori teachers to test new lessons and shape the semester’s upcoming curriculum. Working in groups, they constructed a tipi, presented a play about life on the American prairies, and built part of a Rube Goldberg machine for peeling a banana (seen above), among other activities. At the end-of-the-session celebration, the participants reflected upon how to carry the Salvadori method forward and gave the staff excellent ideas for future activities. |
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 New Board Members - The Salvadori Center Board of Directors approved eight new members: James Abadie (Bovis Lend Lease LMB, Inc.), Anthony Carvette (Structure Tone, Inc.), Margarita Gagliardi (STV, Inc.); Eric Hadar (Allied Partners, Inc.), Gregory Kelly (Parsons Brinckerhoff), Charles Murphy (Turner Construction Company), Mysore Nagaraja (MTA Capital Construction), and Dr. Arnold Webb (Educational Consultant). The Board will hold its first meeting with its new members on September 12, 2006. |
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 Teaching Position Available - The Center is looking to add an educator to its staff with strength in structural and/or civil engineering. Applicants should also have a public-school teaching background and knowledge of project-based pedagogy. If interested, email the Center at thecenter@salvadori.org |
 Scholarship Students Graduate - Each year the Center awards college scholarships. We would like to congratulate Keleisha Knight (SUNY Binghamton), Francisco Salinas (Bard College), and Vincent Wu (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) on graduating from their programs. Congratulations! |
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The Salvadori Center, c/o City College of New York, Wingate 02, New York NY 10031
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