Photo Courtesy of Tobey Sanford
“STEAM Building and Architecture with Magnetic Tiles,” a Naperville Education Foundation (NEF) Express Grant submitted by and awarded to Kennedy Junior High School teacher Tobey Sanford and Jennifer Rosenbaum, Learning Commons (LC) practicum student and Naperville 203 parent, funded the purchase of magnetic tiles for students to build with in the Learning Commons.
“In the safe space of the LC, students can stop in during the school day to spend time away from their screens and recharge their attention while engaging in hands-on STEAM activities utilizing magnetic building tiles,” the grant authors wrote in the grant application.
Introducing the magnetic tiles for students to play with allows them to get creative and innovative in a few ways.
“First, the flexible nature of magnetic tiles allows for endless possibilities,” the grant authors wrote in their application. “Students can create anything from simple shapes to complex structures, fostering imaginative thinking. Second, students can modify their creations, reinforcing the idea that innovation often involves trial and error. This process teaches resilience and adaptability. Finally, magnetic tiles can be used in interdisciplinary projects that com- bine art, science, and technology, encouraging innovative thinking across different subject areas. By providing a hands-on, engaging medium for exploration, magnetic tile building blocks help cultivate a mindset geared towards creativity and innovation.”
The magnetic tiles have encouraged students to problem solve and think critically along with allowing them to express their creativity and imagination, collaborate with other students, and learn about basic concepts of engineering, architecture and physics.
Sanford and Rosenbaum had students that played with the magnetic tiles in the LC f ill out a survey to share their feedback about the experience.
Over 50% of students who played with the magnetic tiles in the LC said that the experience was a stress reliever, 90% said that it was fun to play with them and 94% of students would return to play with them again.
“I came in at lunch time and found [the tiles],” one student said in their survey response. “I had never seen them before so I decided I would take them out. Little did I know that it would be a lunchtime hit! Everyone was playing with them. I heard about them on the announcements and heard that the NEF helped us get them. I am so thankful and appreciative for this opportunity. Overall, these are a great stress reliever and a creative canvas for all.”
Other students were excited to have an opportunity to be creative outside of formal instruction time.
“I thought that the magnet tiles helped let us create and think outside of the box which is a nice relief after having a whole bunch of structured ‘you have to do this’ time,” one student shared in the survey.
Sanford was amazed to see the students get creative, collaborate and problem solve while playing with the
tiles.
“‘Come look what I made!’ is our new favorite student statement that we hear on a regular basis in the Kennedy Learning Commons,” Sanford said. “It is incredible seeing the complex designs that students create out of the simple shaped blocks. Kids are also learning from trial and error as unsupported architecture leads to a crashing collapse. Some of the students return daily to try something new or expand upon previous ideas.”
