Subject:
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Re: lego Technic "class"
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.edu
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Date:
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Fri, 5 Nov 1999 13:00:06 GMT
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Reply-To:
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tking@together+IHateSpam+.net
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Viewed:
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8273 times
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John, Kevin and others,
I have been significantly confused about a lot of EduSpeak
terms over the last few years as I have tried to do more, as
an Engineer, in School settings. Maybe someday I'll write an
Engineers Guide to EduSpeak! I told a teachers conference a
while ago that they were "As bad as Engineers" with their
acronyms. They offered to give me an IEP.
Meanwhile, the "C" word:
Oh, first I have to say that there IS a lot to learn about teaching
things to children. There IS a lot of actual content to the question
of how kids develop, and how they perceive things and how learning
happens. Dealing with the incredible diversity of kids in an Elementary
school is a great challenge. I'm looking for a good, short introduction
to this stuff for adults wanting to get involved in schools at a level
Beyond Bake Sales.
I found a Curriculum developed by NASA and some actual educators that I felt
was a good example of what Curriculum might mean. It covers the subject
of Aerodynamics. Maybe it is a good example of what a Robotics Curriculum
might look like, if it was detailed. I do NOT mean to suggest that the kind
of stuff I am doing right now, or you're doing, needs to follow something this
detailed. This is just an example of what we MIGHT get together over the next
year.
But First, some definitions: (Stolen, in this case, from the Florida Dept. of Ed.)
-------( copy )--------
What is Curriculum?
-------------------
It is the plan by which instruction is delivered.
It is the sum total of the resources, materials, strategies, goals,
objectives, and standards available to teachers for planning.
It defines what will be taught in terms of a specific scope and sequence for
a particular course.
What is Instruction?
--------------------
It is the manner in which curriculum will be delivered.
It is the sum total of the resources, materials, strategies, goals,
objectives and standards available to teachers for presentation.
It defines how teaching will take place in terms of a specific scope and
sequence for a particular course.
What is Assessment?
-------------------
It is the measure of the plan of curriculum and the manner of instruction.
It is the sum total of the resources, materials, strategies, goals,
objectives and standards available to teachers for evaluation.
It defines why teaching took place in terms of a specific scope and sequence
for a particular course.
------------------( end copy )---------------------
OK, as an Engineer, I at least agree that we should "Define Our Objectives"
and get organized. Things just work better.
ROBOTICS, to me, includes 3 primary areas:
- Mechanical Design
- Electronics
- Computer Science
The cool thing is, this kind of multidisciplinary, project-oriented subject
is much more interesting and educational than any one area alone. A simple
MindStorms line-follower Robot with a two-motor Mechanical Design, Electronics
including motor drivers and a Light Sensor, and an 8-line NQC program to run it
is a great example of how this stuff comes together.
Let's keep collaborating on this! I'll try to post some beginning Curriculum
here soon. Meanwhile, I've copied the example NASA curriculum below:
----( copy )---------------
*****************************************************************************
Aerodynamics Curriculum
Curriculum Overview:
This curriculum has been designed to help teachers bring aeronautic
education into the classroom. The explanations and descriptions do
not assume any knowledge of aeronautics, and were designed to be
un intimidating and easy to understand. Depending on the age and skill
level of the students, you may want to skip some sections of the
curriculum. Older students, for example, probably have some
intuitive sense of the properties of air, so you may want to shorten
or omit this section. Many of the sections, especially the wind
tunnel section, can be expanded. In our experience, we have found the
wind tunnel to be something that helped and interested students
immensely when they were given a chance to experiment with it
themselves. For this reason, you may want to allow enough time for
each student to get first-hand experience with the tunnel. A wind
tunnel is an investment which we feel is well worth while and can
be used at many different grade levels and for years to come. The
objective of this curriculum is for students to come away with a
basic understanding of how planes fly and with an interest in
aeronautical engineering. We have tested this curriculum with many
different age groups, some as young as first grade. With first
graders, we chose to concentrate on drag forces, which are more
intuitive than lift forces. Even at this level, students were able to
gain a solid understanding of drag.
Curriculum Outline
*******************
Properties of Air - air has weight and takes up space - air moves -air exerts
pressure, a measure of the amount of "push" something has
Basic relationships - pressure vs area : Pressure = Force/Area -pressure vs
velocity : increase in velocity leads to decrease in pressure - lift vs
velocity : lift force is created when there is a pressure difference
Using a wind tunnel to : - explore lift - explore drag - explore stall
- take computer measurements of lift and drag forces
How are planes controlled? An experimental unit to discover how the pilot
controls the plane using ailerons, elevators, and the rudder.
How are planes powered? Simple experiments to explore: -propeller planes -
jet planes
How are airplanes like birds? A biological comparison for students who may
find physical science uninteresting or intimidating.
Wing design and aspect ratio - an introduction to taking data, making
measurements, applied math, and making comparisons in determining how wing size
and shape affect flight.
Final design competition to reinforce all of the concepts.
-----------( end of copy )------------------
--
Regards,
Terry King ...In The Woods In Vermont
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: lego Technic "class"
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| Thanks, Terry, for the intro to "eduspeak" and the NASA Curriculum. One thing I would like to see a Technic curriculum do is balance teaching of "learning objectives" with time to just explore and "tinker." Learning some basic mechanical, (...) (25 years ago, 8-Nov-99, to lugnet.edu)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: lego Technic "class"
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| (...) At the moment I'm just letting them play, and showing them stuff (mostly the many ways of driving a vehicle wth a motor) when they need help. The age range is about 7 to 15 (this is an alternative school, and most classes and sessions are open (...) (25 years ago, 4-Nov-99, to lugnet.edu)
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