As
part of an initiative to improve STEM education in the district I work
at, a local parent group worked with our local 4-H chapter to provide
training for community members and teachers interested in running after
school STEM programs. I participated in the STEM energy training (see my
previous post “Fun With STEM”)
and learned quite a few PBL lessons that I could do with kids. This
past week I ran two after school “The Magic of Electricity” workshops
with elementary students. It was a lot of fun and I was able to make
some observations about doing PBL with elementary kids.
The
first thing I noticed was the kids strong curiosity about anything put
in front of them. Our first project involved making a flashlight from
foil, a battery, and a light bulb. However, once kids got this figured
out they were immediately on to experimenting with their electricity
kits even before I could get the next task explained. I didn’t bother
to reign them in as they were so excited about making circuits with
buzzers, diodes, motors and switches. They really loved it and some of
them got very inventive and were able to make some very complex circuits
with self-engineered switches made from paper clips, cardboard and
fasteners. To me this engagement and ability to explore and construct
knowledge is what makes PBL so attractive.
While
this was only a short intro class, it did make me wonder about to what
extent I should have been introducing the academic language and more
formal laws and theories underlying what the kids were experiencing with in
their projects. I don’t have a whole lot of experience with elementary
students so I wonder to what extent they are capable of understanding
more abstract concepts like electron movement. I also wonder how useful
those abstract concepts would be for them at this point and at what
point in the sequence of learning about electricity it makes sense to
delve into the complexities of electricity such as alternating currents,
electromagnetic fields, etc.
About a week and a half ago a local parent group teamed up with the school district, our local 4-H club, and CSU to host a STEMasters training to build capacity in our community for supporting STEM education. There were four different training options and I opted for the Energy Module. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in but I have to admit it was a very engaging experience.
At the end of the day our instructor admitted that she is not fond of speaking in front of a group. Let me tell you she proved it! From start to finish we built one thing after another. We made so many things I had to make a list. Here it is:
battery motor flashlight switch sailboat windmill circuit - parallel and series wind turbine solar powered motor electromagnet
Not only did we make all these things but we were given the opportunity to try our new ideas and test hypotheses like: “what kind of windmill blade design will generate the most electricity?” ; “how will electricity act when we set up different kinds of circuits?” ; “if I wire solar panels in series, will they generate enough power to turn a motor?”. The opportunities for inquiry were endless. Plus on top of it I learned more about electricity, solar power, motors, and wind energy than I have in my whole life to date.....and I had so much fun doing it.
I can’t help but reflect on how effective this teaching approach was. Our teacher’s strategy was to give us some simple materials, a challenge (build a light switch with tacks, paper clips, and a fastener, for example) and let us go. After the challenge was met, we started extending our thinking naturally:“can I make it easier to use?”; “what happens if I use different materials?” ; “how can I make a 3-way switch?” ; “Why does it work this way?”. Plus the classroom was set up in such a way that we could see what other groups were doing and compare products and methods.
I am so glad that our parent group was able to coordinate this training and I look forward to conducting some of these activities with students. Here is a short slideshow to show off some of our creations:)
