Visionmaker.nyc Partnerships
Context
Visionmaker NYC is a digital platform that allows users to develop, test, and share climate-resilient and sustainable designs for the future of New York City. based on rapid model estimates of the water cycle, carbon cycle, biodiversity and population. Users can vary the ecosystems, lifestyles, and climate of the city to find and publish sustainable and resilient visions of the future.
The Visionmaker.nyc Astor Fund Partnerships project was funded by the Brooke Astor Fund for New York City Education in The New York Community Trust. This partnership program, which ran from 2014 to 2016, supported professional development workshops and coaching for 63 middle and high school teachers as they used Visionmaker NYC in their classrooms. The evaluation focused on understanding the most effective ways for teachers to leverage the software to improve students’ STEM knowledge and skills.
Evaluation Questions
- How does Visionmaker NYC enhance formal STEM learning with respect to New York State science standards?
- How does Visionmaker NYC increase student and teacher knowledge and interest sustainability, climate resilience, and the New York City environment?
Methods
Project evaluation used a mixed-methods approach, soliciting both qualitative and quantitative data from participating teachers. Types of data included: (1) concept maps to monitor change in teachers’ content knowledge, (2) a classroom use reporting form to understand implementation and student learning outcomes, (3) an end-of-year survey to measure teachers’ attitudes towards STEM and Visionmaker NYC, and (4) teacher focus groups to understand teacher experiences with the professional development and Visionmaker NYC.
Major Findings
The type of support that teachers were seeking evolved over the course of the program. Professional development workshops and early coaching visits focused on logistical aspects of being a Visionmaker user, such as how to create, test, and share designs. Later coaching session focused more on embedding Visionmaker NYC into the curriculum and modeling how to use the software in the classroom.
On the teacher survey, both middle and high school teachers agreed that they were able to describe NYC as a functioning ecosystem more accurately because of their participation in this program. They also agreed that they gained the skills and confidence to use Visionmaker NYC in their classrooms. High school teachers reported stronger agreement with both statements compared to middle school teachers.
Both middle and high school teachers agreed their students could describe human impacts on the environments because of participation in Visionmaker NYC, with high school teachers reporting strong agreement. Teachers felt that the program was especially helpful for teaching about biodiversity.
Key Staff
- Dr. Eric Sanderson, WCS
- Amanda Lindell, WCS
- David Johnston, WCS
- Kim Fisher, WCS
- Mario Giampieri, WCS
- Chris Giamarino, WCS
- Chris Spagnoli, WCS
- Ester Crowles, PEER Associates