STEM as an Engine of School Change
Aryeh Tiefenbrunn is the Director of STEM and Educational Technology at TABC, where he develops innovative engineering and technology programs and supports faculty in enhancing student learning. Rabbi Tiefenbrunn holds a Master’s in Educational Technology and School Leadership from Johns Hopkins University and Semicha from Rabbi Chaim Jachter.
When I joined TABC seven years ago in the role of STEM Coordinator, I was charged with building a project-based engineering curriculum that would integrate interdisciplinary learning. The intention was to provide students with a well-rounded, skills-focused STEM education in order to inculcate within them problem-solving skills, technology literacy, and effective collaboration. There were a lot of open questions, such as how engineering classes would fit into the overall curriculum, whether they would be mandatory for all students, and, if not, which students would take them. As we answered and re-answered each of these questions over the years while exploring all possible avenues to offer our students unique learning opportunities, a robust interdisciplinary elective program emerged and developed. Now, while my main focus is still teaching my engineering classes, I also oversee the school’s diverse group of elective programs. In this article, I intend to explore how our engineering program, as well as the overall elective program, are linked to the school’s core mission and goals for student growth.
When I tell people I teach engineering in a high school, they tend to have a lot of questions about what exactly that means. To address this, here are some basic facts to establish how exactly the program works. The engineering program has developed into a 4-year sequence of elective courses for grades 9-12. Students may select engineering from a list of elective options when they enter 9th grade, and there is some flexibility for students to switch their electives each year. I currently have students in my 12th grade class who are in their fourth year of the program; these students learn alongside peers who only joined engineering class in 10th or 11th grade, as well as some who took engineering in 9th and 10th grades and chose to explore other electives in 11th grade before returning.
The engineering curriculum focuses on “maker skills” with an emphasis on electronics, coding, and fabrication. Classes take place in our Makerspace, which was designed to feel like a collaborative, open, and creative space, with all sorts of tools, Arduino microcontrollers, electronic components, 3D printers, and whatever a student might need in order to take their ideas and bring them into reality. Content-wise, we follow a modified version of the CIJE (Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education) engineering curriculum. In the first half of each year, students develop both the hard and soft skills of engineering through a series of project-based learning units. I think of these projects as existing on one of three “levels,” depending on the learning goals and open-endedness of the assignment. Early on, we do a lot of Level 1 projects, which are characterized by their prescribed process and clearly defined outcome. I also call these “skills-builders,” since they aim only to familiarize students with a new skill or concept in a specific context. An example would be building a simple night light that automatically turns on when a light sensor detects low ambient light: I tell the students exactly what they will make, what they need to do in order to make it, and what elements of the project they will need to master for future assignments.
After several Level 1 projects, the students are ready for a Level 2 project that still has a defined outcome, but is more open-ended in the process, allowing students the freedom to exercise the skills they gained from the Level 1 projects in creative ways. An example of this would be adding sensors to a simple motorized car to allow it to avoid obstacles: it is up to the students to determine what kind of sensor and how many of them to use, but they are all working toward the same goal. The spring semester is devoted almost wholly to a single long-term Level 3 project. This project is completely open-ended in terms of both process and product. As long as students meet basic project requirements outlined in a rubric, they are free to define their own goals and make whatever they can imagine.
Students engage in the engineering design process, beginning with identifying a problem to solve, empathizing with those who experience the problem, and designing a solution to fit their needs. The result for each group of 2-3 students is an invention prototype that they present at the annual CIJE Innovation Day, an event in which they compete against over 1,000 students from dozens of other Jewish schools, where my students have won many awards over the years including for excellence in engineering for Jewish life. In order to succeed in these projects, students must master not only the coding, electronics, 3D printing, and other STEM skills required to complete their prototypes, but also many other skills, including digital-age collaboration, project planning, market research, and presenting to an audience of both peers and judges. In fact, when I meet 8th grade students, I am transparent with them that the main thing I hope they will gain, should they choose to take my class, is a passion for being a problem solver who contributes positively to their community and to the world.
Besides classes, the engineering program is woven into many other parts of the school culture. During Color War, the Makerspace is electrified as students work on themed displays involving servo motors, LED lights, and Arduino microcontrollers. The yearly STEM Hanukkah competition is a highlight as well. The school’s annual fundraising dinner typically includes a large centerpiece constructed in the Makerspace. Students who participate in the theater production use the Makerspace to manufacture props and costume parts for use in the play. Judaic Studies teachers use the tools available in the Makerspace to teach their students how to bind their books to increase the spine’s longevity. The student body enjoys celebrating the Robotics team or Hackathon victories as much as they enjoy when the hockey or basketball teams win (well, almost as much). The cultural impact of the Makerspace and the engineering program has created a sense of possibility and excitement among all students, even those who have never taken an engineering class: they know that if there is something they want to do or make, there’s a place in the school where they most likely can do it.
While the engineering program has been my pride and joy, it has also been a true privilege to work alongside my talented colleagues who run our other elective programs. For the 2024-25 school year, incoming 9th grade students chose their elective from the following options: Principles of Engineering, Music Production and Composition, Intro to Business and Finance, Intro to Video, Media, and Broadcasting (VMB), and Intro to Graphic Design. Each of these programs currently offers either 2 or 4 years of study for students to pursue their passion in their chosen field. Juniors and seniors have a wider variety of electives to choose from, including studio art, forensic science, and Jewish philosophy, providing avenues for students who choose not to pursue one subject for all 4 years of high school.
When I originally came to TABC, my sole focus was building the engineering program; now, I work alongside the talented directors of each of these electives, coordinating expectations and desired student outcomes across the curriculum, and generally working to ensure that every student who attends can get the most possible benefit from our elective offerings. I find it thrilling how naturally this work extends my goals that were originally localized to just the engineering program: namely, that all students should have opportunities to learn in a self-directed setting that encourages them to tap into their unique talents to be creative, solve problems, and above all else, graduate with a lifelong love of learning. All of our electives help to fulfill our overall mission by pushing our students to not only master skills in an area they are passionate about, but to collaborate effectively with their peers, solve difficult authentic problems, and, hopefully, become the best possible version of themselves.
Aryeh Tiefenbrunn is the Director of STEM and Educational Technology at TABC, where he develops innovative engineering and technology programs and supports faculty in enhancing student learning. Rabbi Tiefenbrunn holds a Master’s in Educational Technology and School Leadership from Johns Hopkins University and Semicha from Rabbi Chaim Jachter.
From The Editor: Spring 2025
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