The buzzword is ‘collaboration’ at The Storm King School as our faculty gets ready for the spring semester. To sharpen their focus and get back to speed, teachers attended a series of in-service meetings and workshops before starting classes on February 8. This year, the sessions took place virtually via Zoom, and several teachers made presentations to their peers to share helpful ideas and tools across disciplines.

First to present was Visual Arts Chair John Carruthers, who demonstrated the online sketching and drawing apps his students use to create illustrations, posters, and other works of art. “Many of my students have succeeded in producing professional-quality graphics with these simple platforms,” explained Mr. Carruthers. “These online tools were especially beneficial last semester for my remote students. One student was able to discover a hidden creative side that he never tapped into using traditional art supplies.” The demonstration sparked a lively discussion on using the tools across disciplines, including math, science, foreign languages, and history. Many faculty members were eager to integrate the tools into their classrooms.

 

 

The next presentation was given by English and history teacher Lisa Shrem, who discussed the complex topic of assignment modification to support “thoughtful, productive, positive learning experiences” for students working toward success. “Modifications and accommodations shouldn’t change what the student is expected to learn, but rather how they learn it,” explained Mrs. Shrem. While showing example projects from her classes, Mrs. Shrem stressed that modifying assignments according to specific students’ needs can be challenging. Flexibility, creativity, and insight should be at the forefront of the process.

 

 

Math teacher Barbara Wood followed up with her presentation on using writing across disciplines for better communication and assessment. During her presentation, she explained how she uses journaling and self-reflection in her math classes and encourages students to use these tools to plan out their goals and their progress throughout a course. She also explained how she encourages students to write their own final exam at the end of the course, which serves as an excellent way to review the course content and determine areas they still need to work on when studying for their actual final exams.

Science Department Chair Dr. Paul Feffer gave the last faculty-led workshop– a live, interactive demonstration of online collaboration tools such as Kahoot!, Google Slides, and Jamboard. After a live “Kahoot!” challenge, a “Create a Meme” challenge, and several other demonstrations, the teachers were laughing and smiling as they shared ideas on how to use these platforms across various subjects. By the end of the workshop, all of the teachers experienced the fun and engagement these online tools can bring to their classrooms firsthand.

 

 

The final workshop was given to faculty members who also serve as coaches and activity leaders. Two representatives from the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) shared their knowledge and experience motivating student-athletes through the pandemic and helping them cope with the loss of their athletic seasons. The interactive workshop was organized by Athletic Director Joseph Graziosi, who was very pleased with the outcome and the active participation of SKS’ coaches. “The presenters from PCA loved the participation and honest engagement from so many.  I hope our faculty and coaches found the discussions applicable to what we do here at Storm King, both on the athletic field and in the classroom,” commented Mr. Graziosi.

Many thanks go out to In-Service organizer Dean of Faculty Jeremy Freeman and all of the faculty and staff who participated. “I hope these in-service workshops helped all of us reconnect and prepare for the start of classes. With the strong collaboration and creativity I witnessed during these sessions, I’m confident our school is ready for Semester 2,” said Mr. Freeman.