In my last entry I described the Arduino project I did with my 5th grade students. They were really motived by using a micro-controller and loved manipulating the flashing of the LEDs and using input devices. However because of the challenging nature of this work the students were limited in the complexity of the projects they could pursue. As is often the case with children the sophistication and the extent of their creativity exceeded what they could put into action independently.
So I decided to use the design thinking process to have them think outside of the box and consider how far they could go with Arduino in their imaginations. I called it the Arduino Design Project. I was inspired by a design-thinking project that was successfully implemented at my school last year called Tools at Schools.
For my project I put the students in small groups and challenged them to find a problem faced by children that the Arduino Uno could solve. We brainstormed problems as a class, did some research online, and conducted surveys of students. They were able to redefine the problem and think about it more deeply. Then we started to think about solutions that could be provided by a device such as the Arduino, which has inputs, outputs and a programmable computer. They came up with the most amazing ideas. They really understood how computers can change our lives. The design thinking process is a powerful way to have students think about engineering and important area of focus in the new science framework. Below I outline the process that I went through with the students.
1. Defining the problem.
2. Researching the Problem
3. Ideating (finding solutions to the problem)
There are many more steps to the design process in a limited amount of time I wanted to give the students a sense of the design process. At the end we shared our solutions electronically and students gave each other feedback on their ideas. We then had a conversation to address unanswered questions and complement everyone on the amazing ideas.
Here is a video that one group made in defining the problem.
Below is the solution that this group developed.
Here is another group’s solution to a problem with feeding fish when you are on vacation.
Using design thinking in the classroom is a powerful way to address 21st century skills. My students were motivated by using their imagination and put their ideas into a “real world” context.
