Case Study - Woodcliff Lake Middle School

 
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“[Maplewoodshop] creates a new type of learner; it teaches students to slow down and think differently. They’re required to plan, and be very deliberate about everything, and [create] iterations of success. This process-driven mindset is a skill that will help them grow into adults that know how to achieve success.” 

-Tom Nikolaidis, STEM Instructor

 

School Vitals

School: Woodcliff Lake Middle School is making STEM a priority. There are 2 full-time STEM instructors who devote many hours of classroom time to activities like robotics, coding, and now, woodworking

Students: 275 students of all learning levels

Location: Northern NJ

Grades using the program: 6-8

Why Maplewoodshop

Students had little or no patience for STEM activities, which are based on iterations, planning, and small wins. Today’s students are looking for immediate answers, “Every bit of information is at their fingertips, and they expect that,” says Tom. Mechanical engineering or design process, the foundation of STEM, is about slowing down, planning, and iterative success. Teachers needed a way to help students pace steady progress, not race to the finish. Maplewoodshop teaches the STEM design process in a powerful and fun way.

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Educating With Maplewoodshop

Project created: Dog House

Concepts Learned/Reinforced: 

  • Ratios

  • Thermal insulation

  • Geometry

Life Skills Learned/Reinforced:

  • Collaboration

  • Cooperation

  • Creativity

  • Teamwork

Using no power tools, Mr. Nikolaidis’ class built a life-size dog house for some stray dogs that were seen in town. Each student built a small prototype and incorporated complex concepts like thermal insulation into their design. Students voted on the best design and used math skills to scale the project to actual size.

Taking things a step further, they laser engraved a student-created logo onto the dog house. The project went beyond academics. It helped develop altruism and created an opportunity to give back to the community. The class had a donation ceremony and invited the mayor and town council, to be present as Mr. Nikolaidis and his students donated the dog house to the police department.

As a result, the town council invited all the kids to attend an event where they were presented with a plaque and a gratitude certificate for all their work on the dog house. 

 
 

“Building the dog house, start to finish, was a great
community project that went way beyond the classroom.”

-Tom Nikolaidis

 
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The success of the dog house project has inspired the class to create a community project every year. No matter what they choose to create, they will build it in the woodshop and give it to the school community or the town. The feeling of community is stronger because of this work.

What’s Next?

Tom and his administration are rolling the Maplewoodshop Program out to more students; 5th graders will use it for the first time this year and more children will experience it through the afterschool and in-classroom time. 

Tom has plans to incorporate CAD and other technology with the low-tech Maplewoodshop program to give his students even greater exposure to the STEM world.

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Download a pdf page for printing - Woodcliff Lake Middle School Case Study:

 
Mike Schloff