STEM II - Design process in the classroom

The Ontario science and technology curriculum highly encourages scientific inquiry and problem solving. Each unit has aspects if inquiry and research on top of the basic knowledge. Design challenges are an interesting way to incorporate all the inquiry, research and problem solving skills with the basic science knowledge. It brings the learning into life and students are able to experience science problem in real life. As Miss Tryie says in Capoboanco, Nyquist and Tyrie’s 2013 article, “Ever since I started doing these engineering design tasks in Scientific inquiry leads to an engineering challenge, and both are illuminated. My class, I feel like my students are more engaged in science. I feel like I am better prepared to teach science through engineering design and to incorporate the new standards.”

Sadly, I didn’t know see a science lesson carried out in my FE1 as they were doing social studies instead. This was because it was a grade ¾ class which is a EQAOs years so the AT focused most of the day on language and math as that is what they will be tested on. In math my AT did mention he was giving them real like math problems and inquiry but in reality it was a math problem with a theme (Halloween, Christmas). I feel that teachers may not be aware of what inquiry and design challenges entails or are not truly aware of the true benefits of design challenges.

SLED model (Capoboanco, Nyquist and Tyrie 2013) or its simplified version of the design process (Grelach, 2010) are simple models for a classroom that replicated the real life design process in the science field. These models help students to incorporate their science knowledge to create and innovate solution to problems. It encourages inquiry based learning while consolidating their learning.

Capoboanco, Nyquist and Tyrie’s 2013 article also mentions the 7 essentials in a design challenge:

1. client-driven and goal-oriented;

2. providing an authentic context;

3. incorporating constraints;

4. using materials, resources, and tools that are familiar to students;

5. requiring the solution to be an artifact or process;

6. yielding more than one solution;

7. involving teamwork.

By providing students with authentic context and client, goal driven it replicates the true nature of design. The 7 essentials of design mentioned above allow the design challenge to be authentic and engaging for the students. It teaches them basic problem solving skills and learn the science knowledge and how it relates to real like.

Design challenges should become a vital part of classrooms. It helps students to bring their learning to life and use science to do what scientists, engineers do in real life. It helps create ‘individuals that can face real-world problems and generate solutions to those problems in order to further society and technological advancement.’ (Westfall, 2015)

#stem #fe1 #designchallenge