Learning Design for: Inventions of the future
Context
Topic: Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Technological Education, Maths, Arts & crafts, Romanian, English
Total learning time: Designed learning time: 16 hours and 5 minutes Size of class: 25-30, grades 3-8
Description: The idea is to have students brainstorm about problems they want to solve( either environmental, medical, engineering), discuss with their parents, teachers, design an invention that would help sort that problem out, build it in any format( classical, out of recycled materials, lego, lego spike, or online, using Roblox, Minecraft or Tinkercad- for those who are more advanced). The inventions would be accompanied by their own presentations( these could be oral, written as a story). Each student would also answer questions from their colleagues. If possible, parents could be present, the presentations could be broadcasted via a videoconferencing tool for any parent who can watch live, but recorded and later shared with the families and the other teachers and classes in the school). The mockups will be part of an exhibition, both physical and online and the video presentations and interactions would be put together, either connected to an image that would trigger the video or as QR codes and included in the collection of good practices the school has online). Alternatively, the qr codes could be placed in the hallways, making everyone curious to scan them. We would make use of resources and ideas found in the EUN course Integrated STEM Teaching for Secondary Schools.
Mode of delivery: Blended
Aims
- to enhance critical thinking and problem-solving- to increase students ' interest in STEM- to increase students ' self-confidence with respect to public speaking and using English- to increase students ' capacity for information seeking, interpretation, analysis, synthesis-to familiarise students ' with specific STEM terminology in English-to foster peer learning( student agency- etwinning)- to increase students ' and teachers ' interest in etwinning
Outcomes
Identify( Knowledge): problems in their environment and the world around them Identify causes of( Comprehension): identify the causes of the problems Summarise( Comprehension): the information they have gathered Investigate( Application): possible solutions Construct( Application): the invention or the prototype Hypothesise( Application): on what the implementation issues could be Give feedback( Evaluation): Reflect( Evaluation): on one ' s journey during this activity / project Produce( Application): an etwinning project, either small scale or medium scale.