The Museum of Science, Boston’s PK-12 division spoke with students in Washington, D.C., about their classroom STEM unit testing experiences.
The Lowell School in Washington, D.C. Credit: Kesasummers.
Last December, Youth Engineering Solutions (YES) curriculum developers dropped in—virtually—to chat with 6th grade students at Lowell School in Washington, D.C. The students in Adrienne van den Beemt’s class shared their experiences testing the upcoming YES Engineering Earthquake-Resistant Buildings unit with our very own curriculum developers, Christine (Chris) Gentry and Alyson Miller.
During the post-engineering unit debrief, students shared both praise and constructive criticism as they took turns approaching the classroom webcam to speak. Alyson and Chris also answered student questions, including where the idea came from to create the unit and the process to make one.
Students and Teachers: YES’s Most Valued Collaborators
A group of middle school students test traction in the YES Engineering Eco-friendly Slippers unit, providing crucial feedback to curriculum developers. Credit: E. Workman.
The conversation with Adrienne’s students is an example of YES’s ethos in action. Working alongside, listening to the needs of, and gathering feedback from students and educators is fundamental to ensuring the superior quality of our materials. Having real input from students and teachers also makes implementation of all our free-to-download units easier for educators new to teaching STEM. We could not do what we do without the students and teachers who engage with our materials and give us invaluable feedback!
As we prepare Engineering Earthquake-Resistant Buildings for public release, our team will consider Adrienne’s students’s ideas, along with other classroom feedback. We’ll look for ways to improve building materials, streamline the engineering notebook, and add more time for students to iterate their designs.
Above all, we'll preserve the aspects of the unit that bolstered student agency, allowed them to use their creativity, and caused multiple students to express that they “felt like an engineer!”
Adrienne van den Beemt’s 6th grade students’s feedback will improve the upcoming Engineering Earthquake-Resistant Buildings unit. Credit: A. van den Beemt.
A huge “thank you” to Adrienne van den Beemt, her incredible 6th grade engineers, and the Lowell School in Washington, D.C., for their time, assistance, and feedback. And a tremendous “thank you” to MathWorks for funding the creation of our Engineering Earthquake-Resistant Buildings unit.
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