STEM Version 1.0: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

STEM is a 21st century learning strategy that involves teaching the four concerned disciplines in holistic, project-based activities, aiming to engage and give clearer meaning and purpose to each. I believe that this can not only address the shortfalls shown by research in students studying in these subject areas, but also to reengage students who may not see the point of learning parts of the subject content. Students at all levels can benefit from holistic project-based learning.

 

A 2013 Australian Industry Group report found that there was a 58% decline in STEM related course completions between 2001 and 2011. Australia only meets 40% of industry’s need for engineering graduates. Lyons and Quinn reported that the issue begins in high schools with participation rates for most science and mathematics courses falling between the years of 1992 and 2012.

 

A 2015 Price Waterhouse Coopers study: The STEM Imperative: Future Proofing Australia's Workforce, found that nearly half of Australian jobs will be at risk of ‘digital disruption’ in the next 20 years (44%, 5.1 million jobs) and 75% of the fastest growing jobs require STEM skills. Shifting just one percent of the workforce into STEM careers would add $57.4 billion into gross domestic profit in the next 20 years.

 

Australia’s Chief Scientist, Ian Chubb has been championing the addressing of STEM shortcomings at a Federal level. The occasional paper from his office: STEM skills in the workforce: what do employers want by Prinsley and Baranyai in 2015 was based on the Deloitte Access Economics report, Australia’s STEM workforce: a survey of employers. They found a mismatch between skills required by employers and those possessed by applicants, notably in the areas of active (life-long) learning, critical thinking and complex and creative problem solving. These are all skills at the heart of STEM learning.

 

At Canobolas, we believe that we can use this same philosophy to reengage students with learning in the KLA areas of Science and Mathematics, using the project based learning techniques that have been so successful in Technology and Engineering, which led us to STEM Version 1.0:
 

Recently, we planned and delivered a 10 week STEM unit of work around to Stage 5 (Year 9 and 10) students. Students in groups built a standard mousetrap powered dragster as a prototype and Technology skills investigation. 

Students were introduced to the engineering behind race cars through research, conducted scientific investigations on friction and simple machines and measured distances and times in prototype testing that could be calculated into speed and acceleration.

 

A fictional client then specified that the students redesign their dragster to travel faster, further or a predictable distance every time used while fitting inside a photocopy ream box (you know the ones...).

 

Students presented their designs to staff and parents at a celebration event at the end of the 10 weeks, tested their designs against their design briefs and documented their measure distances and times in a collaborative cloud spreadsheet showing live on a projector complete with real-time calculation and graphing of data.

 

Overall, the STEM unit was a success. Interestingly, in a context that is usually dominated by male students, it was the three groups of female students that performed the best, with the furthest and fastest dragsters. Despite experimenting with the materials and techniques in the prototyping stage, the male students rushed and damaged/wasted materials and took little care with the lightweight balsa. Students were all keen to use advanced manufacturing in CAD and 3D printing as a method to reliably connect their mousetrap to the arbour arm that powered the vehicle, making their dragster perform more reliably.

 

Now we move on to our next STEM trial with several classes of Stage 4 students, STEM Version 2.0. This time we will be trying a theme with a more humanitarian focus, which is usually more engaging for female students. It will be incredibly interesting to see if the STEM project based model has an impact on the male students engagement this time...

Keep it simple... Hot tips for beginning Technology teachers

My classroom is always open for teachers and trainee teachers. I love to collaborate. I enjoy seeing how another teacher can bring a different twist, experience or perspective to a point I'm trying to make with students, especially if I'm not a expert on the matter. I can learn as much as the students do!

Teaching Technology subjects can come with great risk to staff and students alike. When I work with trainee 'prac' teachers, there are some simple, core tips I give them to practise that can build a solid foundation for any practical lesson and minimise much of this risk:

1. Practise what you preach. Know your content and know what your about to teach. You only need to be one lesson ahead! Always make a project before you make them with the students. You'll make the same mistakes first and can avoid the heartbreak of doing it in front of the class.
2. Calm entry, calm start. If you herd the students straight into your room with no order, chaos will prevail. Line them up outside the room, give your instructions and then guide them into the room. It sets the tone for the lesson.
3. Mark the roll early. It also helps settle the students and set the tone for the next step. It makes you look much more organised than if you mark the roll as they run out the door or not at all.
4. Clear, concise instruction. A calm start will allow you to get you message across easily. I often like to the list the tasks/order of the lesson on the black/white/SMART board and ask students to refer back to it when they ask 'What do I do now?'. 
5. It's OK to use music during practical work. Make sure you have solid rules in place. Mine include 'no repeat workday' and 'once a song starts, it MUST play through'. Students also know of they music stops, they need to stop and listen for instructions.
6. Give good demonstrations. You need to make sure every student can see what your up to, otherwise you'll be doing your demo's one-on-one for the rest of the lesson. Use your surrounds. I like to spread my students in a horseshoe, back against the workbenches so that no one is crowded and no one is behind me like this: 
   
7. Be consistent. Set your rules and expectations for behaviour, safety and procedure, be them negotiated or dictated. Follow through on them. Cut to the chase and speak with parents early to cut off misbehaviour.  
8. Finish on a high. Praise the good, productive work that has happened. Sum up the key points, the 'one thing' that they need to remember for next lesson. Give yourself plenty of time to pack away and clean up. 
9. Set up a routine. Train your students so they know that every lesson they line up, enter calmly, the roll is marked, a demonstration happens then work begins. Our students respond well to routine. 

I can tell when I haven't followed these myself, it can often lead to a crap lesson. Falling back on these basics always make life easier. No one likes to work harder than they should!

What are your 'back to basics' suggestions for those new to Technology teaching?

I get by with a little help from my friends...

There is little doubt that Technology education and it's project based learning provides some of the most relevant and engaging lessons for students. Nothing beats walking through a classroom and feeling the buzz of students making things, solving problems and recounting what they're up to using correct terminology.
 
There are so many great technologies out there which can value-add or even transform classroom projects like 3D printers, CNC mills and Laser cutters. Problem is, many teachers and many school don't have access to these or can't afford the capital to invest in them, despite the value of them to student learning and overseas educational trends.
 
Scalextric 4 Schools (http://www.scalextric.com/scalextric-4-schools/) is a great example of what you can do with this technology in the classroom. Combining CAD design with the technology to produce custom slot cars to race against other schools! Only thing is you need a CNC mill to make a car body mold from your CAD drawing, a vacuum former to make the body from the mold, a vinyl cutter to decorate it and a laser cutter to produce the chassis! A great design, prototype and evaluation process like many in the real world of industry.

Easy part of getting into this is buying the track... The cost of this wonderful technology makes a very valuable unit of work out of reach for most schools, so it gets put in the too hard basket.
 
This is where you can get by with a little help from your friends...
 
I managed to run this task this year with my Year 10 Industrial Technology Engineering class, without any of these whizz-bang bits of gear:

• I used twitter to source a 3D printing file from a UK Technology teacher that produced an alternative chassis for slot cars(friend #1, thanks Becky Jane @BJ_Ram28). For these we made cardboard net bodies that the students could give liveries before printing. A great chassis for testing, but too time consuming to print a class set.

• I made my own vacuum former based on some designs I had seen in Youtube clips like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMbX3bqfzsk (friend #2... kinda)

• We hand made positive moulds for our car bodies to suit the S4S laser cut chassis. No CNC mills or routers here!

• I hit another school up for a favour and they laser cut a class set of acrylic S4S chassis for us (friend #3, Thanks Ruth and the crew @ Bossley Park HS).

 

 

OK, so our cars weren't as flash as the others you see online, but the Year 10s were engaged and we all had a great time. Pretty sure we learnt some things along the way too...!

 

    
Generally teachers (and especially Technology teachers) are a great bunch who are willing to help each other out. Don't put off or rule something out, ask around, get on social media or get in touch with your professional association and make it happen! 

Lucky we had a little help from my friends...

 

Matt @mattrix2000

The logo task is not dead, it's just been 3D printed...

 
Designing a logo has long been a favourite of the Technology teacher, be it for Technology (Mandatory), Design & Technology, Graphics, Technical Drawing (need I go on?) classes from 7 to 12. I know I have used it often as a part of the curriculum or as a fall back plan when I can't get into a practical room.
 
I also know that this has been around for a long time, as I had to develop several logos and redraw pictograms as a student of Technical Drawing myself. So ask yourself this question: Is the logo task dead?
 
I think not, if your evolving the task and not sticking with the classic 1980's formula where you redraw the Bankcard logo first!


http://images.all-free-download.com/images/graphiclarge/bankcard_75995.jpg
 
Many of my students are not engaged with the satisfaction of creating a logo on paper that meets the identified need given to them as a task.
 

So here is how I now approach it.... 

1. As per normal, students are given a design brief. We investigate some graphic skills like the use of lines and colour, research existing ideas and analyse them, then generate a range of ideas to narrow down into a final logo.
2. Then the evolution begins: We review the logo in only two colours, modify if required and then create a sticker using our Roland GX-24E vinyl cutter.
3. And evolve some more: We review the logo and the sticker, import it into SketchUp and create a three dimensional version to be used as a key ring and 3D print it on our UP!Plus.

This has given us two tangible end products that gives the students a real application to evaluate function and aesthetics against.  With that I've noticed a greater depth of understanding and application of the final evaluation process. They also love seeing the link between their CAD drawing and their printed logo key ring in temperature colour changing ABS plastic. 

So what's next...?

I guess its all about what technology you have available to you to enhance this classic student task. A laser cutter could be used to make an engraved business card in acrylic, a CNC mill could be used to cut an alternative key ring from hardwood or ply or making t-shirts using flocking and vinyl in the Roland cutter. I'd love to hear what other Technology educators are doing to engage their students when generating logos!