Saint Ambrose Computer Science and Coding teacher, Sheri Niedermyer’s interest and expertise in coding and STEAM continually challenges students to grow.
This year, Niedermyer discovered an opportunity that aligns with Saint Ambrose School’s STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) mission statement — to solve real world problems. It provided students with an opportunity to build 25 Scratch learning app games for medically fragile students of the Department for Exceptional Children at Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES in New York.
Mike Neumire, instructional technology specialist at BOCES, or Boards of Cooperative Educational Services, put out the call for help on social media. Niedermyer responded and said she could teach her students to code games to meet his request.
“BOCES is home for students who have needs greater than typical environments can provide them,” Neumire said in a statement. “We often find that educational resources are aimed at students in those typical environments. We are so grateful to have connected with Saint Ambrose School, and their awesome student coders who were able to consider our needs and interests, and make some great projects designed for us.”
In responding to the opportunity, Niedermyer noted that her students were the same age as those needing cool games to learn basic literacy and math skills. St. Ambrose School faculty collaborated to help students understand their audience, and intervention specialists from BOCES helped students determine the skills they wanted to include in the games.
Under Niedermyer’s direction, students learned more about developing games using Scratch and took the recommendations of BOCES intervention specialists to develop specific games to meet the needs of their medically fragile peers.
“We experiment with computer code at a young age here at Saint Ambrose School — starting in kindergarten,” Niedermyer said. “This project was about giving back. Our fifth graders had to think not about what they liked, but about what the students at Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES in the Rochester area of New York would like. They did a great job and we’re very proud to witness their hard work helping others.”
BOCES in New York created a website for its intervention team and students to house these learning games designed by St. Ambrose 11-year-olds for developmentally challenged 11-year-olds to help with letter sounds, basic math, social studies and literacy skills.
Students then met virtually with the intervention team in New York to present the games they designed and receive feedback. They even had the opportunity to connect with a couple of students.
“The collaboration with Saint Ambrose School was a great experience for my students,” Kate McElhaney, a teacher on the BOCES team, said in a statement. “The students did a wonderful job creating activities that were presented at an academic level that met my students’ needs yet were age-appropriate and of high interest to my students. We had so much fun exploring all of the different activities.”
Saint Ambrose School Principal Lisa Cinadr said the learning experience with the students in New York not only provided a STEAM learning experience, but also created a relationship and ongoing opportunity to collaborate with a school with diversity.
“We constantly seek best practices and future-ready teaching and learning opportunities to stretch and grow our students,” Cinadr said. “Mrs. Niedermyer embraces and employs our mission with every student she teaches.”
-Article Published by the Medina Gazette, May 1, 2021
