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Very early in life children show that they are naturally fascinated by engineering; they just don’ t know it yet! Think about our earliest toys. We built things, tore them apart, and rebuilt them in different, and sometimes innovative, ways. For this reason it is easy to see how Montessori and engineering go hand in hand!
At the Montessori Centre Academy in Glenshaw, fifth graders are presented a unit called An Introduction to Engineering: Invention and Innovations. This unit culminates with a project we like to call“ The Shark Tank Project.” It has grown to become one of several annual projects that Montessori students look forward to as they advance from grade to grade.
Sixth grader Baylin Bitar said,“ I loved doing this project because I came up with something that could really solve a problem.” Many of the inventions and innovations over the years are memorable. How about a single hanger that holds an entire outfit including socks,
undergarments and accessories, or a shopping cart attachment that uses your shopping list to map out the route through the store in the quickest possible time?
■ BRAINSTORMING and RESEARCH The students use the engineering design process and begin by brainstorming problems to create an innovation. Is there anything like it out there and, if there is, how can we make this innovation different, or better?
■■ DESIGN
Next, we use cardboard and craft materials to create or design a model, and, for the kids, this is the most fun! Montessori students work with their hands to physically assemble what they’ ve envisioned in their minds. In real life it is just cardboard and junk, but in their minds they are creating the next new trend! By this time, the students are“ all in”; they are totally engaged in the project.
■■■ MENTORING and MATH
Sixth grade students, who completed this project last year, will come to join in, mentor and assist the fifth graders with how to improve their project. They will troubleshoot with them, help them evaluate the design, and make suggestions on how to market and determine a valuation of the invention. According to sixth grader Ashton Ragoowansi,“ the business side that was applied was extremely fun, where we learned about royalties, stocks, and controlled percentages.” The sixth graders now get to teach this concept to the fifth graders in a method Montessorians call cooperative learning.
■■■■ PRESENTATION – Welcome to the Tank
Keeping with the“ Shark Tank” theme, students will present their innovations to the“ sharks”( sixth graders, teachers, and administrators), who will then mock invest in the students’ projects. It has a real feel, just like the TV show— the music plays, the lights are low... this is their moment to shine!
There is a flood of benefits to introducing engineering concepts at the elementary school level: preparing them for 21st century careers, building skills in physics and logic, engaging students in real-world learning, just to name a few. STEM education, which is the latest buzz among education professionals, stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. STEM learning creates cross-curriculum projects that inject experiences with the concepts. Hands-on learning isn’ t anything new for Montessori, but at Montessori Centre Academy the teachers are consistently learning how to combine Montessori philosophy, brain-based teaching methodology, and cutting-edge technology to create an unmatched blend of educational experiences for students.
About the author: Rachel Sams has many years of experience teaching technology and computers to both children and adults. Combining her undergraduate Elementary Education degree and her master’ s degree in Technology Education and STEM Education, she developed the curriculum to teach first through sixth grade at Montessori Centre Academy in Glenshaw, PA, for the past six years. www. montessoricentreacademy. com
Ross Township | Winter 2016 | icmags. com 11