Materials and Methods Teacher

New England Innovation Academy seeks an inspiring Materials and Methods Instructor who supports and stimulates students’ and teachers’ passions and curiosities. The Materials and Methods Instructor helps students think deeply about the world and express what they have learned from and through prototyping and production. The Materials and Methods Instructor will work collaboratively with colleagues to support the learning objectives of NEIA’s Innovation Studio curriculum. As human-centered design is at the core of the curriculum, students will use an action-based, interdisciplinary design process to create new products and services, as well as solutions to complex problems. This position will instruct, enable, and assist the students with the complex prototyping and production challenges that they will face in the Innovation Studio.  

The following skills and knowledge are necessary for this position:  

• Rapid Prototyping: SLA, FDM, Objet 
• Milling (metals, polymers, and wood) 

• Turning (metals, polymers, and wood) 
• Woodworking with hand tools 
• Woodworking with power tools (table saw, drill press, band saw, etc.) 
• Painting, priming, sanding, and finishing 
• Bent laminations (simple and compound) 

• Bonding methods and materials 
• Laser cutting 
• Sourcing materials and services 
• Can maintain shop equipment 
• Well versed in safety 

• CAD software 

The position requires serving as an advisor to a small cohort of students and actively supporting various student life activities. We seek a dynamic educator who inspires students and works collaboratively and creatively with colleagues in various curricular areas and divisions. Candidates should be passionate about problem-solving, teaching youth and adults, and have a love for use of building materials in a shop setting. 

Faculty at NEIA encourage collaborative teamwork in the classroom, teaching students to communicate effectively and thoughtfully, justify their reasoning, and consider multiple perspectives when solving problems. Faculty invest in the life of the school by participating in weekly department meetings and multidisciplinary team meetings, anti-bias training, residential life when we include boarding students, and any and all aspects that support the student experience. 

Under the general supervision and guidance of the Dean of Faculty, teachers are responsible for preparing lesson plans, educating students, and collaborating with colleagues. Their duties include assessing student work and performance, providing feedback, documenting student progress, and assigning homework. Teachers must be able to command their classroom and reach students with an engaging project-based curriculum. Teachers are responsible for creating and maintaining a learning environment that guides and encourages students to develop and fulfill their academic potential and accomplish the learning goals of NEIA. 

Duties include: 

• Embodying NEIA’s principles of empathy, equity, personalization, authentic work, and collaboration in all work activities and actions; 
• Creating daily lesson plans with project-based assignments connected to the human experience that are engaging, educational, and exciting for the kids; 
• Planning, preparing, and delivering instructional activities that facilitate active learning experiences; 
• Incorporating goals, competencies, and objectives into lesson plans in ways that directly apply to the student’s life

• Achieving school and course-wide performance goals for every student in the class; 
• Grading assignments and independent work regularly to keep students updated on how they are doing;
• Identifying students struggling with learning, emotional problems, or situations at home and finding them the resources they need.