ERIC Number: EJ1172636
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Mar
Pages: 9
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0036-8148
EISSN: N/A
3D Pit Stop Printing
Wright, Lael; Shaw, Daniel; Gaidds, Kimberly; Lyman, Gregory; Sorey, Timothy
Science and Children, v55 n7 p55-63 Mar 2018
Although solving an engineering design project problem with limited resources or structural capabilities of materials can be part of the challenge, students making their own parts can support creativity. The authors of this article found an exciting solution: 3D printers are not only one of several tools for making but also facilitate a creative process for students to engineer by design through multiple trials, as outlined in the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS). Without a maker space at their elementary school, the authors reached out to their local university and asked for "maker experts" who had the knowledge, experience, and "maker tools" (e.g., 3D printers) necessary to help this lesson come to fruition. For the past two years, they have taught a modified version of the National Science Resource Center (NSRC) Motion and Design Unit (2004). Their school district rents NSRC kits on a quarterly basis. For this lesson, two totes of materials (in this case, K'NEX kits) are used to design cars powered by rubber bands, wind sails, and propellers (see NSTA Connection for the addendum). Over a 10-week period, they guided their three fifth-grade classrooms through lessons to support their students' knowledge and skills of physics of motion. The NSRC Motion and Design unit proved to be an excellent scaffold, though they made modifications in both timeline and lesson content to align with learner outcomes.
Descriptors: Computer Peripherals, Engineering Education, Creativity, Design, Elementary School Science, Units of Study, Grade 5, Elementary School Students, Scaffolding (Teaching Technique), Science Instruction, Competition, Group Activities, Hands on Science
National Science Teachers Association. 1840 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201-3000. Tel: 800-722-6782; Fax: 703-243-3924; e-mail: membership@nsta.org; Web site: http://www.nsta.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A