During this co-op, I had the chance to work two jobs that will help me further my experiences and expand on my resume. Both the South End Technology Center (SETC) and Critical Exploration Press (CEpress) are companies dedicated to the different teaching methods that can be used to give students the ability to learn in a unique way.
For CEpress, one such teaching method lets students figure out the answer to questions through their own exploration of the subject. While the teacher will offer some guidance, it is up to the student to guide themselves through the process of learning. My job for CEpress consisted of compiling the different journals, papers, articles, and videos created by Eleanor Duckworth, a Harvard professor who specialized in a pedagogical approach called Critical Exploration in the Classroom. I categorized these resources to put onto the CEpress website to be used by those who are interested in Eleanor’s work.
My second job was at the South End Technology Center, which was created by the activist Mel King and specializes in helping low-income kids, people in recovery, and those recently released from incarceration by giving them the opportunity to learn about technology for free, while also tackling issues that occur in their everyday lives, such as gentrification and poverty. They also provide the only free Fab Lab outside of MIT, where anyone can come in and learn about any technology-based skills that are available at SETC. This includes 3D printing, Lasercutting, Vinyl prints, coding, and computer skills. I worked with SETC to help with their Learn to Teach, Teach to Learn program, where they employ teens in Boston to teach younger kids different skills involving the tech that they have.
Photo credit: http://southendtechcenter.org
