NMS Industrial Arts Program Raises The Bar On Tech Ed

By Larissa Lytwyn

Walking into Newtown Middle School teacher Don Ramsey’s industrial arts classroom is a bit like stepping into an interactive science museum.

The room yields entry into a giant bubble of hands-on exploration.

An old Citgo gasoline sign adorns on wall; a stoplight pulses red from the opposite side of the room.

Pulleys, hydraulic and engine parts, suspension cords, and even a hammock hangs from the ceiling.

“The magic of Mr Ramsey’s room is when you walk in, it doesn’t feel like wood shop,” noted Donald Schaer, president of the Connecticut Technology Education Association (CTEA) and an assistant professor of technology at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) in New Britain. “There’s no birdhouses or benches in sight!”

Last December 16, Mr Schaer chose to hold a CTEA conference on classroom environment using Mr Ramsey’s class as a model.

“I was really excited when I found out about the decision,” said Mr Ramsey, 51, a 1976 graduate of CCSU. “It’s a real honor!”

Attending the conference were several area industrial education teachers and professors, including the chair of CCSU’s School of Technology, Dr James DeLaura.

More than a dozen of Mr Ramsey’s seventh and eighth grade students were on hand to help direct visitors to the classroom and discuss their most recent projects.

Mr Schaer first became aware of Mr Ramsey’s classroom through advising a CCSU technology education student this past fall. The student was completing his student teaching requirements with Mr Ramsey at NMS.

When he saw the classroom for the first time, Mr Schaer knew it was an ideal example of the CTEA’s upcoming forum on classroom environment.

“When I saw that Industrial Arts was a required [seventh grade] class, I wasn’t sure how to react,” said now eighth grader Brady Eggleston. “My parents told me it was like wood shop, where I would make boxes and things like that. But when I walked into Mr Ramsey’s class, I saw that it was much more. It’s not just about building things; it’s about understanding how things really work!”

Mr Schaer said that over the past few years, there have been several exciting innovations in technology education.

“The approach has definitely expanded and become more inclusive,” he noted. “The primary objective is understanding the function of various ‘systems,’ whether it be automotive, communications-based manufacturing, biotechnology, transportation, or aerial.”

He said that students quickly become less intimidated by the concept of technology when they see how it appears in their daily life.

“All we’re doing is breaking it down, teaching how it all works,” said Mr Schaer.

In addition, he continued, learning the function of technological development can create a number of applicable skills.

“Students will learn how to analyze and problem solve,” he said. “Everything from identifying what’s wrong with the TV to even a problem with a car that keeps breaking down.” 

Mr Ramsey, he said, understood the wide applicability of technology, expanding it far into the unexpected.

After all, said Mr Schaer, “When most people think of technology, they think of computers.”

There is not a single computer in Mr Ramsey’s classroom, though, easily, there could be. Instead, the emphasis is clearly on do-it-yourself hammering, sawing, and attaching.

“This is the kind of classroom model we encourage statewide,” praised Mr Schaer. “It’s truly exciting to see.”

The classroom was not always as exotic looking as it is today, however. During the 2003-04 school year, the room underwent a major technological overhaul, in which old tables, benches, and equipment were refurbished and replaced.

While Mr Ramsey poured a considerable amount of money into the project himself, he is quick to credit the district for its contribution.

“The Board of Education was extremely supportive of the room’s makeover,” said Mr Ramsey. “So was the administration at NMS, especially [Principal] Diane Sherlock. None of what we have today could have been possible without the whole support of the district!”

Indeed, several of Mr Ramsey’s colleagues slipped into the conference to congratulate Mr Ramsey on his classroom’s success.

“It’s amazing what he has done, in just the few years that he has been here at NMS,” said math teacher and Newtown resident Oona Mulligan. “My son is going into seventh grade next year, and he can’t wait to take Mr Ramsey’s class!”

Alyssa Rodriguez, a current student of Mr Ramsey’s, said that industrial arts was her favorite class ever.

“I didn’t know what to expect at first,” she said. “But the things we do are really cool.”

A recent project involved building a model home for different environments, from a tropical to an artic setting.

“It was a group project,” said Alyssa. “My partner and I made a model home for a tropical place. It was interesting to think about all the things that would be needed. It was really different.”

She also said that Mr Ramsey is her favorite teacher.

“He is really nice, like, he’s at your level,” Alyssa said. “He’s not intimidating in any way. He really just wants you to understand and learn.”