W E ST J E FFE RSON HI L L S SC HOOL DI ST RIC T NE WS — M CCLE LLA N E LE M E N TARY S CH O OL
West Jefferson Hills
Puzzling
Problem Solvers
Michael Dobos, 4th grade Science teacher,
used an interactive way to reinforce the scientific
method with his classes. Previously they had
worked with the Hour of Code, learning how
to manipulate objects on a screen by entering
specific commands or codes. Recently, Mr. Dobos
attended a workshop at the TransformED center at
the Allegheny Intermediate Unit which afforded
him the opportunity to borrow different handson learning kits from the Pittsburgh Penguins
Foundation STEAM Lending Library. He chose to
borrow a game called Puzzlets, which can be used
with our iPads. In order to accomplish certain
tasks in a game on the iPad, the students had to
create the correct code to make the character in
the game move. The students had to plan how
they were going to maneuver a character through
each level of the game collecting puzzle pieces,
then enact that plan by placing the corresponding
pieces (move left, move right, stop, jump, etc.)
on the cloud playing board. It was great seeing
the students have fun while working through the
important process of critical thinking and problem
solving. There is a current trend in education that
is pushing students to look beyond a “finished
product” and explore/experiment with the innerworkings of the technology itself. Thanks to games
like Minecraft, students love making structures
and worlds to play in. And thanks to innovative
teaching practices by Mr. Dobos, our students are
learning how to make a game work instead of just
playing the game. He has also invited second-and
third-grade students to visit his classroom and
share in the Puzzlets experience. If the younger
students have some basic experience with coding,
then as they progress through the grades they
will be ready for more challenging tasks. Through
the use of the STEAM Lending Library, we can
try different kits to see which would be the most
appropriate at each grade level. Mr. Dobos already
has plans to borrow additional kits in the future.
Next up… The Finch Robot from Carnegie Mellon’s
CREATE Lab!
West Jefferson Hills | Spring 2016 | icmags.com 55