Based on the study we've been doing and the out of school research I've been thinking about. I think the video below is one of the best demonstrations of applied mechanical engineering that could be brought into the classroom. With a little tweaking, I could use this video as a springboard for a different research, design, and build project. Mark alludes to in all of the important aspects of science education we've discussed through the course if you dig a little deeper. Most importantly, the over-the-top nature of his work makes kids (and adults frankly) get really excited about what he's offering. The video below alludes to existing scientific knowledge and the idea of concept creation by bringing in research literature to start then confirm his findings. He also uses the social model of knowledge creation by involving a team of youngsters to develop and analyze the tests they need to make when tweaking the machine. Lastly, he uses modeling techniques through the use of clay disks in place of rocks to approximate how the real thing will work. I'm very pleased with Mark's videos and hope to use them to inspire projects and deep learning throughout my classes. Knowing that not all of my students will become scientists or engineers, I hope to at least inspire them to be unafraid of working with their hands after doing research into subjects to improve their lives and the lives of those around them.
Though I don't know what topics or what types of designs I can have students creating in my classes yet, I fondly remember my own physics class in which we got to build a projectile launcher, which was intended to hit a target anywhere from 15-30 feet away repeatedly. I think we needed to hit a target 3/5 times. When my team and I started, rather than doing research and testing, we just built a behemoth trebuchet which when lined up next to the target made us rethink the whole process. 15' was not very far. This had us scrap nearly a day of work in order to build a smaller more accurate launcher. Our failure to prototype and test and realize our design parameters cost us significantly in time and materials. We had some classmates who went a similarly painful route with a compressed air launcher and were unable to be accurate in the short distances. The video below is a great demonstration of good engineering and design practice which can be a springboard for many projects and lead to a lot of good design thinking for students. I look forward to figuring out how to apply it to my classrooms.
Though I don't know what topics or what types of designs I can have students creating in my classes yet, I fondly remember my own physics class in which we got to build a projectile launcher, which was intended to hit a target anywhere from 15-30 feet away repeatedly. I think we needed to hit a target 3/5 times. When my team and I started, rather than doing research and testing, we just built a behemoth trebuchet which when lined up next to the target made us rethink the whole process. 15' was not very far. This had us scrap nearly a day of work in order to build a smaller more accurate launcher. Our failure to prototype and test and realize our design parameters cost us significantly in time and materials. We had some classmates who went a similarly painful route with a compressed air launcher and were unable to be accurate in the short distances. The video below is a great demonstration of good engineering and design practice which can be a springboard for many projects and lead to a lot of good design thinking for students. I look forward to figuring out how to apply it to my classrooms.