They are building race cars and designing orthopedic braces–not exactly what you would find in a typical middle school classroom, but then, the two Project Lead the Way classes at Cuyahoga Heights Middle School (CHMS) are anything but typical.
“They learn the design process and how to problem solve,” said Brooke Dragon, computer science instructor, who has been teaching at CHMS for the past 10 years. Within the computer science and pre-engineering offerings, Dragon also teaches two classes using a curriculum provided by Project Lead the Way (PLTW). This national program provides learning resources in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) for students at all grade levels.
As a PLTW instructor for the past five years, Dragon has participated in rigorous training offered by the PLTW Foundation. This training requires her to assume the role of the pupil in order to learn how to teach the classes and obtain PLTW certification.
Gateway to Technology
The first class, called “Design and Modeling,” is a required class for all seventh graders. In this introductory one-semester course, students can engage their natural curiosity and imagination by learning to apply the design process to solve problems.
“One of the first projects they do is to create a foot brace for a child with an orthopedic problem,” said Dragon. “They need to create a device that attaches to the leg and keeps the foot flat.” Using only cardboard, nylon straps, felt, foam, Velcro®, and a few other supplies which Dragon provides, the students consider different ideas and come up with at least four different designs. From that, they determine which idea will work best and the time needed to design it.
“They get into isometrics and orthographics,” noted Dragon. “They learn to draw multiple views of the device from different angles. They have to think ‘When I look at these objects, how can I draw the top, front, and left and right side views?’” To accomplish this task, students use online computer programs that create 3D models of their design.
Automation and Robotics
Eighth graders who are enrolled in Algebra I have the opportunity to take the second PLTW course Dragon teaches, called “Automation and Robotics.” In this one-semester class, students learn about mechanical systems, energy transfer, machine automation, computer control systems, and how to code (program) using ROBOTC software. In the process, students acquire the knowledge and skills to solve problems and how to work together as a team.
“They are learning that the solution to a problem is not always a black and white and that sometimes they need to see in the gray,” remarked Dragon. “They learn to work through some setbacks. They see a problem and they have to decide how to solve it, and in the process, they learn that there are different ways to arrive at the same solution.”
In one project, students build a racecar that must travel 20 ft. and stop. “They start the coding process,” said Dragon. “They do things like build a bump switch, a limit switch, and all the components and how to code their car to do what they want it to do, such as to increase speed.” For example, Dragon explained, “They have to write, ‘When the bump switch is pressed, I want the motor to turn on.’”
“It’s fun,” said eighth grader Nathan Mandich who is currently taking the class. “I'm good at this kind of stuff – learning to get things to work without you moving it yourself. You get it so that you just click a button and the car will do it.” Nathan’s team’s race car, incidentally, met with success, having traveled 20 ft. in five seconds and earning second place in the competition.
“I guess I just like being creative,” said classmate Bryce Rusch. “It’s challenging and I like that. I like building and coding -- it’s fun. And I like building mechanical things.” Rusch said the racecar exercise gave him insight about how to increase speed. His team’s car came in second to last in the competition. “I have to make a better gear ratio,” he explained. But, “It’s great after getting it done and it really works.”
Classmate Reilly Conte reiterated Rusch’s comments. “I like trying to figure out that there are so many ways to do it!. I like hands-on learning,” she said. Her team’s car came in 5th; having traveled the prescribed 20 feet in 10 seconds.
Dragon echoed the student’s enthusiasm for the class. “The best part about this is the “Aha!” moment when they see what they’ve done and then they say ‘Oh my gosh, I did that.’ They learn that failure is ok and that it’s totally fine and it will work. And to see that there’s not a right and wrong answer to solving a particular problem. The way you do it may be different from the way I do it but we both solved the problem.”