Engineering Competitions in the Middle School Classroom: Key Elements in Developing Effective Design Challenges

Autor: Philip M. Sadler, Marc S. Schwartz, Harold P. Coyle
Rok vydání: 2000
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of the Learning Sciences. 9:299-327
ISSN: 1532-7809
1050-8406
DOI: 10.1207/s15327809jls0903_3
Popis: Engineering challenges that involve both the design and building of devices that satisfy constraints are increasingly employed in precollege science courses. We have experimented with exercises that are distinguished from those employed with elite students by reducing competition and increasing cooperation through the use of tests against nature, large dynamic ranges in performance, initial prototype designs, and alternative methods of recording and presenting results. We find that formulating easily understood goals helps engage students in fascinatingly creative processes that expose the need for a scientific methodology. Such challenges engage male and female students equally, helping to erase the gender disparity in familiarity with the technology and skills common to physical science.
Databáze: OpenAIRE