Students create solutions for a school of cyborgs
Returning to the original engineering design process (Ask → Imagine → Plan → Create → Improve), these PS students in Yonkers had the chance to identify and solve problems for a future school of robots. Imagining a world where robotic friends work alongside students, what do they need? What can they do? Students used MakersEmpire software to model their solutions, then cardboard and paper materials to make actual 3D representations. From flexible charging stations to adaptive walls, students found some fantastic ways of making all the BB-8s feel welcome at school.
Specific challenges and benefits arise from this type of project-based learning (PBL). Design thinking involves the ability to examine a problem through new and interesting lenses. When we give students a hypothetical challenge (i.e. Rosie the Robot around every corner), they tap into a different source of inspiration for completing their tasks. In our challenge, students were able to draw on their knowledges of computer science, architecture, bioengineering, and even pop culture references to find solutions for their imagined problems. After asking what kinds of problems would arise, students had to then imagine the solution. They designed answers, tested them out, and are poised to take the next steps for the improvement of their plans.
This type of iterative design thinking allows students to become engineers, and for students who learn by doing, the ability to fail is crucial to their success! The teachers at this school believe that if their students already know all the answers, then there is no point in trying to teach them anything. Allowing students the space to make mistakes in a constructive way provides more opportunities for them to learn from themselves. Although we entered the school as professional development facilitators, we learned more from the students than they did from us!
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