The teaching routine of a NuVu coach

Making a new way for kids to learn

After you walk up the stairs at 450 Massachusetts Ave, you see a pink door encased in pink walls. Once you open the door you will find NuVu Studio, a project-based learning school that allows students to explore their passions innovatively, by taking on problems and finding solutions. As you stroll through the studio you’ll find Ammar, a design coach. You can see the reflection of a student asking a question through Ammar’s glasses. Ammar is always ready to answer student’s wildest questions because he believes that NuVu has a pulse on the world and it responds to changes in real-time.

“A day to day routine for me is to be serious about work and implement humor so people can be the most productive they can be. For me, the middle of the day has to be very fun, I like when kids can be themselves. I like an environment where both the students and I can be funny.”

According to Ammar project-based learning is not a figured out field, so it can be approached in many different ways. To him, project-based learning is effective in the sense that it enables people to look for problems and solutions and allowing the opportunity to implement them.

“You can start anywhere, and make an impact.”

When Ammar and the students are on break, he is constantly raising their spirits by opening up his laptop and showing the student funny youtube videos and telling them about a comedian he loves. “ You know what you should watch? The philosopher’s soccer game, it’s so funny” He even tied his shoes together by accident, and made it into one big joke.

He paces across the studio and spots a student who needs help. He seemed impressed by the student's presentation, he smiled as he praised the iteration the student made, he overwhelmed the student with positive feedback. To Ammar, being positive is crucial to the studio environment. According to him, you usually have to listen to the student’s feedback and meet them where they are.

“it’s very important to be reinforced in the creative mindset, ask them how they can make it better, there’s no use to look at the dark side.”

As Ammar reviewed a student’s presentation, his eyes squinted with a look of disappointment. On the student’s screen was an extremely low-resolution image.

He sprang up, “It’s all gonna be okay, we just have to change a few settings.”

He sat with the student, logged onto google slides and talked through how to export the photo correctly.

“I admire his ability to push students to see things differently, He’s just so kind, and really funny,” Jon, the shop manager said as he carried boxes of materials.

He then paces across the studio, nobody seems to need help, so he sits down and works on his laptop. The blue glow of his computer screen infects his face. Ammar is working on a presentation on how to research.

“I think research is important, sometimes it is too easy to start building and skip researching, but if you research more, your project could be more interesting and compelling.”

Ammar’s hands are going back and forth as he acts out mechanisms while he explains something to a student. The student nods and smiles. Once Ammar left, the student immediately started working. Something that makes Ammar special is his coaching style. His philosophy is that it’s important for students reinforced in the creative mindset, he believes that doing this makes a better studio experience.

“I like things to be a discussion where there is a back and forth between student and coach, even in grad school you usually have to listen to your coaches feedback, here in order to get to things going there is always a discussion, ultimately you want the student to be engaged, I am very happy when a student can defend their ideas.”

 When you walk down the stairs at 450 mass ave, you are reminded about how education can be taken on in many different ways. Ammar, with his humor, intelligence, and genuine connection with students, is critical in shaping this educational experience.