Leadership+and+Governance



Develop skills in PDP by participating in the Teacher Portfolio class to learn tools and techniques for self-evaluation and development.

 As part of my Professional Development in the Teacher Portfolio class, I have learned that self evaluation is a key tool in developmenting student based learning projects that challenge the students. During a resent evaluation of a project in Inventions and Innovations, I realized that the project in the Prototype and Modeling section could be revised to make the project more engineering based.

The project consisted of the students designing and building a chair that would hold a certain amount of weight. The material that was used were old cardboard boxes. The project was adapted from an online project were full size chairs are made. Not having the space to store 10-12 full size chairs, I developed a lesson that built 1/2 scale chairs.

After the first class completed the chair project it was obvious that changes need to be made. Every chair designed passed the weight test. Not that students chairs should fail but there was not enough of a challenge in the design task. It was necessary to provide students with background information in structures, stress and materials.

I took a self-evaluation of the project, asking myself what did I expect the students to walk away with. What long term lesson would ultimately be learned by the project? I realized that to build a structurally sound chair with the minimal amount of material required experimentation in structural integrity. What keeps a chair from collapsing? Were are the pressure points? What does the center of gravity have to do with a chair? These types of questions lead me to a redesign of the project that would challenge the students to develop a plan based on data. I also changed the material to a less sturdy material: oaktag.

 The Project now consists of data collection to explore the reason why and how a structure would fail. The project now explores: A simple "Build a Chair" project now has expanded to include STEM and PBL.
 * Compression /Tension
 * Tensile Strength
 * Center of Gravity
 * Mechanical Drawing
 * Anthropometric
 * Prototype Building
 * Testing
 * Evaluation



Reflection

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 125%; text-align: left;">I chose this project to illustrate ​the importance of STEM in Technology. We have moved passed students simply completing a project. We have moved into an in depth approach to teaching that touches areas that include Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Students used the science of tensile strength and compression. Prototyped structures using technology methods. Engineered design drawings and calculated weight and mass using mathematical practices.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 125%; text-align: left;">The Portfolio Class taught me to question my methods, organize my thoughts and strive to provide the best educational practices. I connected between the course and the material by asking myself,"How do I know this structure is the best design"? I couldn't answer that question until I looked deeper into the science and engineering that lead to an educated design. Knowing how the stress and material would react under pressure guided me and the students to build chairs that were well thought out and engineered.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 125%; text-align: left;">The Portfolio Class taught me that this revised project fits into a framework of life-long learning which goes beyond the students simply completing graded assignments. My hope is that students will look at how an item is designed and why it is designed that why. They will have an understanding that the bridge they cross on the highway is an engineering feat that involves STEM to the highest level. They need to look at the world around them and wonder, " Why is that built like that". They should have the basic tools to question and wonder beyond a graded assignment.