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ERIC Number: EJ1195311
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Nov
Pages: 8
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0036-8555
EISSN: N/A
Approaches to Teaching Rube Goldberg
Dolenc, Nathan; Cohen, Jonathan
Science Teacher, v86 n4 p32-39 Nov 2018
A Rube Goldberg device is a complicated, yet comically involved machine that performs a simple task such as closing a door, watering a plant, or typing a key on a keyboard. Creating one is an open-ended activity that challenges students to use prior knowledge, resourcefulness, investigatory skills, and imagination. This reverse engineering activity has permeated K-12 classrooms as a physical science activity and aligns with the "Next Generation Science Standards." Students meeting "NGGS" standard HS-PS3: Energy create multiple steps within a Rube Goldberg machine by designing, building, and refining a device that works to transfer energy, often converting one form of energy into another. Because a Rube Goldberg machine has multiple transfers of energy, the activity creates a scenario with seemingly endless choices on how to design and build one. This article describes various strategies teachers can use to engage students in a Rube Goldberg activity within a high school physics classroom. Regardless of the strategy, it is recommended that teachers play the role of project manager while students work in groups of three or four. This allows the teacher to provide goal and time management; be a person-of-resource; engage students in productive questioning; and increase collaboration and interaction among group members by encouraging individual members to share, listen to, and consider other members' ideas.
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: Secondary Education; High Schools
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A