Let’s Get Building!

In my own classroom, I see opportunities for the maker project especially in my science class. In my science, we are learning about how to launch rockets. Students are set up to learn about the differences between physical and chemical changes. Students in my class have never had the chance to learn about chemical versus physical changes before. I want students to learn in a hands-on approach that allowed them to figure out the differences on their own. I will bring in baking soda, amylum, baking powder, water and a few other chemicals (all school approved of course.)

Instead of getting students to learn which chemicals create a chemical change and which ones create a physical change, I will put students into groups. I will give them the chance to mix the chemicals however they please (all were briefed in safety.) Students are then allowed to start mixing chemicals and see what happens. This played right into Papert (1993) when he discusses how he wanted students to “play with problems” in order to give them a chance to enhance their knowledge of what happens during a chemical reaction compared to a physical reaction.

Later on, as we are preparing to launch our rockets, my students will be confronted with the assignment. What will we use as fuel to launch our rocket? Students will be able to use their knowledge from the previous lesson to determine which chemicals to use to get the biggest launch. Playing with the problems helps students see first-hand which combination gets the biggest reaction as not all the chemical reactions were created equal. Students note that while multiple combinations of chemicals created a chemical change, only one combination creates the largest thrust to get the rocket off the ground.

This lesson is also rooted in the innovator’s mindset from Couros (2018). Students are faced with trial-and-error challenges when mixing their chemicals. When obstacles appear during the mixing phase such as a constant result of physical reactions, students are then able to think critically and deduce that they should try the chemicals that they have not tried to combine yet and move aside from the chemicals that are always yielding physical reactions.

Challenges that I expect from the maker movement are keeping students safe when they are allowed to lead science-based projects. It can be an issue when it comes to behavior. Some students are going to need more guidance. I think safety training will have to be heavily emphasized in order for this lesson to be successful.

Another challenge I foresee is materials. Doing science projects always involves using plenty of materials compared to other subjects. Getting all the resources we need is something that can be difficult for any maker’s project. School funding is limited for science as is. We only have about an hour to teach science and the resources we are typically given leave us with more to be desired.

                                                                 *References*

Couros. (2018, July 25). Moving Beyond a “Growth Mindset.” George Couros. https://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/8389

Papert, S. (1993). The children's machine. New York: Basic books. Chapters 5