For future similar events, may I
offer a few comments?
For example: Forces/ pushes and
pulls
Friction, how we
can reduce this, lubrication, bearings etc.
Wind resistance,
aerodynamics, shapes of fast-moving vehicles
Weight
It was good to read in students’
journals that e.g. “We changed the body from say wood to
polystyrene to make it lighter and it went better” BUT SCIENTISTS
ALWAYS TRY TO BE QUANTITATIVE ABOUT TESTING AND
GATHER EVIDENCE FOR THEIR DECISIONS!
Please first re-read the
Judges’ Comments from 2006, as all those are still very relevant! *
In their journal discussion, many students
concluded something like this ..” we feel our sledge is
successful as we have improved the amount of weight it can carry as
well as its speed…”
What a wonderful feeling it was to read these
positive comments! Even before the actual “judging”, these students
already felt successful as they had seen improvement.! Their
experience in this learning journey had been a success in itself. So
often in the classroom our students participate in various
activities, with each an end in itself. Unfortunately, not so often
do they have the opportunity to evaluate their success then have the
chance to continue to improve by further investigation. The TSTS
Technology Challenge gives students of all ages a great chance to
“Design, make, evaluate, and modify..” . All students can achieve
success if they are allowed the time to continue their
investigation. The PROCESS itself is so important.
Some clever teaching hints:
Some teachers introduced the challenge with
questions like “What are the variables?” (What things can I change
which might affect the sledge’s motion?), “What things slide
easily?” “How will you test it?”
One school allowed their students an initial
“design and fiddle stage” followed by splitting the class into
“expert groups” which each investigated one factor (eg. sails,
friction, weight) and then reported back to the whole group. Then,
in pairs, they decided on their own overall sledge design taking
into account their learning from the “expert groups”.
It was very exciting for me to
see the overall improvement from last year especially in the areas
of:
degree of modification of designs.
Though few students actually tackled a range of vastly different
ideas before setting on a particular one to modify slightly,
most students did show a pathway of design variation, especially
with regard to sail size, shape and material, and smoothness of
surface contact area. This emphasis on lateral thinking is to be
encouraged, and I think most teachers went into this challenge
with higher expectations of their students in this regard.
Student construction journals were
far more detailed with some excellent diagrams ( some even to
scale) drawn from different aspects (above, below, side view
etc). Some Primary teachers, especially Early Childhood
teachers, produced a photocopied format….”draw your first
design, how much can it carry?. What did you change next? Why?
Draw your second design. How much can it carry now?…
Testing of variations was more
quantitative with students recording the number of marbles
carried after changes made on sledge, or distance traveled etc.
Few did multiple tests (obtaining averages for tests
under the same conditions etc) to check accuracy and
reliability, but many did record results in a table / chart this
year which is pleasing. Comparison of results is far easier
using a table.
Student self-evaluation is a growing
skill encouraged by teachers. The students are asked to read the
criteria to be assessed and draw up a rubric to evaluate how
well they are doing on each criterion (eg. amount of recycled
materials? Is it sturdy? Does the design show creativity?….)
Student confidence in discussing the
underlying science was quite impressive, and a enjoyable part of
the judging process from the judges’ viewpoint. Both written
and verbal literacy skills are essential to foster in all
subject areas, and the TSTS Technology Challenge can be yet
another opportunity for teachers to develop good communication
habits in students…eye contact, speed of speech, direct
answering of the question, smile!…
Well done to all who participated. Now I’m
looking forward to the Research projects!
