Communication: Major Key in Capacity Building

I never dreamt that I would use my counseling and communication degrees to the level that I have as a Foundry Maker Fellow. However, the tools and strategies I learned in my various educational experiences have been great assets to me in this position.

As a Foundry Maker Fellow, my job is to build the capacity for STEAM related projects and establish K-12 Pathways for students. This past month I found that, in order to be able to do my job effectively, there were several key areas I needed to focus on. I wanted to share them here to give a better understanding of the work that goes into capacity building.

*Communicating with School Administrators- It is critical to communicate with administrators. It is imperative that Maker Fellows ask important questions of school administrators. For example, "What are the STEAM priorities in your school this year?" What wonderful STEAM initiatives are currently happening in your school that you would like us to support?" "Who are the teachers you want us to connect with regarding STEAM?"

These may seem to be straight-forward and easy to answer questions, however, that is not always the case. Some administrators may not recognize their priorities or even

*Communication with Teachers- Teachers are dealing with so much more than simply teaching. As a Maker Fellow coming into a school to work with teachers, we have to be aware of the needs teachers have and how those needs relate to the overall goals Administrators may have. This requires spending time with teachers, observing teachers, asking the right questions of teachers and most of all LISTENING.

Just last week, I had a meeting with two fourth grade teachers. Toward the end of the meeting, one of the teachers said to me, "Nicole, we love you and everything you do, but what we really need is someone to come teach our students about kindness". I had to listen to what this teacher was really telling me. She loves the idea of STEAM projects to assist her students in being exposed to 21st century skills. However, she needs assistance in addressing some of the distractions to education that are occurring in her classroom. Now that I have that information, instead of simply trying to give her STEAM related projects that will be beneficial in her classroom, I will need to strategically include an aspect of kindness and/or character development or I would not truly be meeting the needs of this particular teacher.

*Communication with The Foundry Team- The members of our team all have different strengths and expertise. It is important that as we communicate with our teachers and administrators to find out their needs that we communicate with each other. Someone on our team could possibly have the skill set needed to help a particular teacher or school as a whole.

Communication is the key to not only launch projects successfully but also to make sure that the most appropriate projects are chosen with the most beneficial deliverables to show student learning outcomes.

I'm looking forward to a year of fostering and deepening relationships to build capacity through effective communication!

Lastly, we're getting ready to launch Trout in the Classroom at Downey Elementary School! Fourth grade teacher, Kayla Montgomery, is doing an after school hour for students to learn about raising the fish!!! We are so excited! Stay tuned for photos and more information on how that project is developing!