trevordayschool

When programming with P5.js, 8th graders built everything themselves—first plotting shapes and choosing colors; then creating interactive artworks that included photographic imagery, text, sound, and audio reactivity. In one recent project, students designed emojis whose eyes and mouths moved in response to the ambient sound in the room. In another project, students were asked to integrate sound, text, movement, and interactive imagery to express a social concern. eir approaches were diverse and dynamic. Anna R. addressed gun violence after the mass shooting in Las Vegas. She used an image that depicted two teenage girls hugging and crying in the aftermath. When viewers clicked the mouse, a peace sign constructed of guns was programmed to appear on the screen. As viewers continued to click, the image became completely obscured with peace signs. Anna also programmed a key on the keyboard to play the sound of police sirens. In assessing her work, Anna remarked, "Gun violence is a relevant and pressing topic for me. e code I used was challenging, but it was rewarding to figure it out and apply it to a worthy outcome." Asked why STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Mathematics) has garnered so much attention in the last decade, Ms. Gorelick thinks that despite its being an overused buzzword, "at its core it's really a forward-thinking concept that points to how much more collaborative we could all be.…Educators realize how many great new technologies and inventions are born at the intersection of various disciplines, and therefore have questioned the value of keeping conventional disciplines so compartmentalized, when they are conceptually so interconnected." e interdisciplinary nature of these courses appeals to many Trevor students. According to Ozan M., "Although I'm coding, which helps me to think more logically, I still have to be creative and consider the design." Fellow middle schooler Jordan P. thinks that his P5.js course helps him with other subjects. "It helps with science when we are doing something related to computer simulation. Also, in math, there are a lot of steps you need to be careful with—and it's the same with coding." In her classroom, Ms. Gorelick aims to cultivate an active space for art-making and experimentation, in which students feel free to express their ideas and play with new technologies, while expanding their art vocabularies and technical skill sets. "I try to make my courses a blend of project-based learning and more structured assignment time, where students are asked to solve a problem or work within narrow parameters in order to figure out how something works. I find that while many students get excited and make breakthroughs with projects, some prefer a structured prompt as a point for creative departure. My aim is to create a space for all styles of learners so that they may tap into their creativity and feel comfortable expressing themselves." ■

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