“One example of using low to no tech options for STEAM is when I try to take our rural setting and make it a focal point and strength for my lessons,” Shilcosky said. “We use our nature trail (a path winding through some dense forest and streams on a hillside overlooking our campus) and conduct nature scavenger hunts. During these, my kindergartners will practice recording and checklists while completing tally mark worksheets.”
Shilcosky teaches over 900 students in grades pre-k to 6 at Forest Hills Elementary School in the Laurel Highlands of South Western Pennsylvania. He has used his ingenuity to develop a diverse STEAM program and recently was honored as the 2022 Infosys Foundation USA Infy Maker Award winner. Infosys Foundation USA awarded ten K12 educators from nine different states, teaching in Title 1 schools, within rural communities, and with diverse learners.
The specific activity that helped Shilcosky earn a $10,000 award was creating a unit on stop-motion animation and video editing for 5th and 6th graders.
“My administration has allowed me to purchase the things I needed to get this program off the ground and build upon it each year,” said Shilcosky, an English/Language Arts teacher until creating the STEAM program four years ago at Forest Hill. “As always, there are things on the wish list for an educator, regardless of his/her funding and support.
“So, I use grants and award opportunities, similar to the Infy Maker Award, to help supplement my program and make it a first-class experience for my students. I will regularly research and seek grants and awards that I feel will benefit my students and the type of educational experiences I can give them. I take great pride in the STEAM education and programming I bring to the kids, as I created the entire curriculum myself.”
Shilcosky teaches a wide range of lessons on coding, environmental education, design challenge, architectural design, robotics, and much more. He models by using recyclable materials such as cardboard and reusable materials such as Legos.
“I always try to teach the kids the science behind the technology we are using when it presents itself,” he said. “For instance, we begin the stop motion discussions by discussing the invention of the thaumatrope.
“We create them with straws and paper. Then we discuss how the birth of animation came from this. We use terminology like frames per second, the persistence of vision, and many more that will help enhance their understanding as we keep advancing our concepts. The kids have responded to this style of instruction, so I have kept it going.”
