STEM challenges slideshow
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STEM in the Middle Years provides a summary of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and describes various hands-on activities that can encourage STEM learning for middle years students. It defines STEM as more than just content areas, but a transdisciplinary approach focusing on skills like collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving. A variety of low-cost activities are presented, such as building structures from cards or straws, designing containers to keep ice cubes frozen, and programming robots. The goal is for students to engage in the engineering design process of asking, imagining, planning, creating, evaluating, and improving.
STEM challenges slideshow
- 1. STEM in the Middle Years EarthEd Centre, Ballarat Activities that encourage science, technology, engineering and maths learning
- 2. What is STEM? • The acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, but it is more then the sum of its parts • Not just a collection of content areas, but a transdisciplinary approach that provides authentic contexts for modern learning • The focus is on developing skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, problem solving and effective communication
- 4. The STEM process • Ask – Research, define the problem, what’s the brief? • Imagine – Generate ideas, brainstorm • Plan – Choose a solution • Create – Construct and develop a prototype • Evaluate – test and troubleshoot • Improve – Refine and adjust • Communication - Results
- 5. STEM activities • STEM activities can range from very simple, low-cost, low tech (for example, cardboard, paper or plastic straw construction) to high- tech gadgetry such as 3D printing, robotics and drones. • You don’t need a state-of-the-art MakerSpace or expensive electronic equipment to start making!
- 6. Geodesic sphere • A geodesic structure is strong, light and based on triangles. • Challenge students to create a dome or sphere using just plastic straws.
- 7. Tallest structure from playing cards • Which team can construct the tallest structure using just playing cards and no tape, glue or other fixings? • The world record is 7.71 metres! • https://www.youtube.c om/watch?v=fgrJuW_u KgI
- 8. Spaghetti marshmallow challenge • How tall can you make a tower from just spaghetti and marshmallows?
- 9. Paper chair for teddy • Using only paper and tape can you build a chair that supports a stuffed toy?
- 10. Paper aeroplane • Using an A4 page, fold a paper plane • Decide what is the ‘best’ paper plane – is it the one that flies the furthest or the highest? • Test and improve
- 11. Bridge Challenge • How much weight can a bridge bear? • What is the span length? • There are four types of bridge – beam, arch, suspension and cantilever.
- 12. Bridge Challenge A bridge challenge can be suitable for a variety of ages and take from 15 minutes to many days! • Icy-pole sticks and glue (from 50 to unlimited) • Straws and skewers • Spaghetti and marshmallows • Playing cards and tape • Paper and string
- 13. Shadow puppets
- 14. Ice cube challenge • Design a container to keep an ice cube frozen for the longest time.
- 15. Car launch • How far can you get a model car to travel without pushing it or applying external force? • Use ramps and gravity to launch your vehicle. • Measurement, ordering decimals, angles, forces
- 16. Marble Drop • Design a maze for marble or table-tennis ball • Can be attached to the wall
- 17. Rube Goldberg Machines • Unnecessarily complex devices that achieve simple tasks, often involving domino falls, rolling balls, ramps, tubes, levers and wheels.
- 20. 3D Google Glasses – Virtual Reality
- 21. Soft Circuits
- 22. Wearable Tech • Clothing and accessories with integrated circuits • FitBits, light-up shoes, GPS in AFL, smart watches • Smart helmets that monitor heart-rate etc • Boxing gloves that track performance • Backpacks with inbuilt solar panels • LEDs and sensors on your fingernails
- 23. 3D printing • Useful for custom design, such as prosthetics and prototypes. • Students can use programs such as Google SketchUp to create their designs and then 3D print them in plastic. • “Moat Boat” is a challenge to make your rubber-band powered boat travel the longest distance.
- 25. Moat Boats 3D printed paddle boats – how far can a boat powered by a rubber band travel?
- 27. Robotics • Kibo – early years • BeeBots and BlueBots - primary • Sphero – rolling robots • Ozobots – tiny light-sensing robots • Dash and Dot – programmable with drag-and- drop coding
- 33. Drones Can you control a drone?
- 34. Makey-Makey
- 41. Coding Resources • https://code.org/ • Hour of Code: https://code.org/learn • Unplugged: https://code.org/curriculum/course2/1/Teach er • Computer Science Unplugged: http://csunplugged.org/ • Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu/