At Abram S. Jenks School, Karly Bornstein, a K-5 STEM teacher, is inspiring young minds to explore the world of STEM. With six years of teaching experience, Ms. Bornstein’s career began with a love for helping students during a high school internship in a first-grade classroom, fueled by the influence of amazing teachers from her own childhood. Outside the classroom, she enjoys bike riding, painting, and cooking—a creative balance to her passion for STEM. Transitioning from teaching 2nd and 4th grade, her principal recognized her enthusiasm for science and technology, leading her to take over the retired computer teacher’s role and modernize it with coding and engineering instruction. Karly has been instrumental in our Design Education program as she partners with volunteer architects and designers to give students access to design education and believes it’s important for students to learn about STEM careers to challenge and eliminate preconceived notions of what the STEM field can look like.

Q: What motivates you to integrate additional programs into your classroom?
A: Integrating additional programs into my classroom brings variety and excitement to student learning, giving them something to look forward to each week. It also enriches the learning experience by exposing students to real-world context. I’m motivated by the opportunity to provide students with hands-on experiences, introduce them to potential career paths, and foster critical skills like problem-solving, teamwork, and creativity.

Q: What concerns or fears did you have when introducing this program to your students? How did you address them?
A: Initially, I was concerned about whether students would feel overwhelmed by the unfamiliar subject matter or disengaged if they struggled with the concepts. These concerns were addressed by emphasizing that the program was about learning and exploring rather than finding the right answers. The volunteers played a key role by breaking down complex ideas into manageable steps and fostering a supportive environment where students felt encouraged to experiment and grow.

Q: How have you noticed students change or grow during or after participating in Design Education classes?
A: I observed growth in students’ confidence as they tackled design challenges and presented their ideas. Many students developed a growth mindset and learned to approach problems from multiple perspectives.

Q: Can you share some of the projects you’ve worked on in the classroom and how they connect with your curriculum?
A: The fifth graders explored architecture and design through STEM concepts. They learned about structures, loading force experiments, architectural expressions, and geometric explorations. They used origami, Legos, Keva Planks, and Knex to apply their new knowledge. Their final project was creating a city out of Knex that incorporated everything they had learned over the past several weeks. These projects connect to the engineering concepts we discuss in STEM and are enhanced by the real-world focus on architecture.

Q: What kind of relationships developed between your students and the Design Education volunteers?
A: The volunteers were amazing mentors who provided a lot of encouragement to the students. Their involvement made the experience meaningful and memorable as they connected with students and incorporated their interests into the lessons.

Q: Can you share your favorite memory from the program?
A: One of my favorite memories was when the students were working in pairs to create a model of a moving structure. At the end, they decided to connect all the models together to make one long structure. They came up with the idea, and it was so fun to see them take the initiative on their own!
 

Interested in volunteering with DesignPhiladelphia's Design Education program?  Please reach out to Michael Spain (michael@designphiladelphila.org), Liza Niles (liza@designphiladelphila.org), or Carly Clifford (carly@designphiladelphila.org) for more information.