Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

30 minutes – Tune in: STEM inventions
25 minutes – Find out: Problem identification
80 minutes – Take action: Design challenge and prototyping
10 minutes – Reflection

Tune in: STEM inventions

Step 1.

Explain to students that in this lesson, they will be investigating how inventions can help solve problems. Many of the problems and solutions explored in this lesson are related to caring for the environment or helping people in need. Tell students that Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths skills are used to create each of these inventions and that students will have an opportunity to design their own STEM solution later in the lesson - so they should be looking out for great ideas throughout the lesson.

Step 2.

Provide the students with the Student Worksheet. Explain they will be watching a clip that shows 22 different inventions. Invite students to write down the names (or simple descriptions) of the inventions they see and rate them out of ten for how innovative they think each invention is. There is a table on the worksheet to help them.

Step 3.

Play this video for the class:

22 Inventions That Are Saving The Earth - Tech Insider (https://youtu.be/FWFb-8hFutY)

Note: The focus of the clip is to show how everyday problems can be solved with solutions that use an integrated STEM approach.

Talk and turn is a strategy used to initiate a classroom discussion where all students are actively involved at once. In pairs, students take turns in speaking and listening in response to the questions below.

Step 4.

Encourage the students to reflect on the designs they saw. Allow students two minutes to TURN AND TALK about what they saw.

Students can refer to these questions on the Student Worksheet to guide their discussion.

Which inventions did you like the best?
Which were most useful for people?
Which were good for the environment?

Step 5.

Ask a few students to share with the class which invention they found the most interesting or rated the highest, and encourage them to explain why they liked it.

Step 6.

Students will now look at the ‘Seabin’ as a case study of problem-based STEM design in Australia. The story of the Seabin demonstrates a clear sequence:

Problem: Identification of the problem - marine litter
Idea: Development of a design solution - the Seabin
Solution: The Seabin operates using a fabric bag inside a plastic frame along with a pump system to draw in floating rubbish, oils, and detergents
Action: The inventors are trying raise funds and sell their Seabin to solve the marine litter problem at a local and global level. They want to recycle the plastics collected to create more Seabins.

Step 7.

Show the following videos to the class:

Video 1.

The Seabin Project (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiy7WQYQyhY)

Video 2.

Ocean Cleaning Machine (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBVL3lp9fGo)

Invite the students to use the Student Worksheet to capture their ideas about the Seabin project after watching this next video.

Students will be using this problem-based STEM sequence as a framework:

Problem: What’s the problem being solved? Who does this problem affect?
Idea: What bright new idea did the men come up with to solve the problem?
Solution: What is the solution called? What does it look like? What is it made of? How will it work?
Action: What are the inventors doing with this solution? What’s the next step?

Step 8.

Invite students to share their thoughts on the Seabin project with the class. Ask a few students to describe how they think the device works and evaluate if the Seabin solves the marine litter problem.

You might need to re-watch the second clip or, if you want to go into more detail with students about how the Seabin is built and what it collects, provide students with this Seabin Project eBook.

Find out: Problem identification

This part of the lesson is to generate several ideas about problems that exist, then explore whether they are problems that could be solved using STEM solutions.

Step 1.

Write the following headings on the board, allowing space below each for notes:

Problem
Idea
Solution
Action.

Step 2.

Invite students to think of problems or issues in your school or local area that could be resolved by developing a STEM invention. Write these ideas on the board. You only need to fill in the Problem section at this stage.

Step 3.

Work with your students to select a real-world problem in your school or community that can be solved using STEM. For example:

Clean-up projects - waste traps for stormwater, preventing rubbish from blowing out of bins
Nature projects - attracting wildlife through plants and feeders, preventing erosion from human traffic or uncontrolled water runoffs
Water projects - collecting rainwater for gardens or toilets, creating effective guttering systems for directing flow, and keeping leaves out of drains.

Environmental projects are easy entry points for STEM projects in the real-world as they are easily identifiable by students and impact is easily measured. However, you are welcome to try any kind of project that works for you and your students.

Step 4.

Write a STEM challenge statement based on the chosen problem. For example:

Stop litter from going down the drain so it doesn’t make it to the creek, river or sea.

Step 5.

Invite students to list ideas they have for solving this problem. For example:

Create a litter trap for the stormwater drain.

Assist students by drawing their attention to causes or factors they may not have considered. For example: Discuss how wind can be one of the biggest factors in litter moving from a bin onto the street and then down the drain.

Take action: Design challenge and prototyping

Time is an essential consideration for the remainder of the lesson. Set a timer to divide up the planning and building time so the students have adequate time to create a mini model or prototype.

20 minutes of designing time
50 minutes of prototype building.

There are two ways to complete the STEM design challenge:

As a large group: Ask the students to vote and decide what focus the whole class will take. This means that the students will all be working on innovative designs that solve one focused problem (e.g. waste litter traps). You could then allow students to work in small groups on their own solutions to the same problems, or on different components of the task; otherwise, you will need to facilitate the group in designing a solution together.
As small groups, pairs or individuals: Allow students to investigate the problem from the earlier list that they are most passionate about. You could have some students working on different problems, and others creating different solutions to the same problem.

Step 1.

If students are working in small groups or pairs, divide students into groups based on interest or randomly assign students to groups. Ensure all students have their Student Worksheets with them.

Step 2.

Inform students they will have 20 minutes to draw their design. They will need to clearly label or annotate their diagram, to show each part or component of their design, including the materials they would use for the solution. Say “Ready, Set, Go,” and start the timer.

Step 3.

While students are drawing their STEM solution designs, walk around the class and help students identify how they are using each of the STEM components in their design:

Science: How does it fit into or support the natural environment?
Technology: What types of materials will be used?
Engineering: How will the design work?
Maths: What size, shape, volume will the design be?

Step 4.

When the timer reaches 20 minutes, call out for the students to stop work.

Step 5.

Once the designs are completed the students can begin working on building a mini model or prototype of their design. For this part, the students must access different materials to construct and create the prototype. You could lay the materials out on tables, or provide a number of tubs of materials for students to look through.

Recycled materials are fantastic for this: include paper, cardboard, small lids, orange bag netting, fabric offcuts etc. Students will need tape, glue and staples to fasten items together. Provide an area where the students have room to build and construct their design ideas.

Explain to students that they will now build a prototype (or model) of their design. Show them the materials they can access and tell them they will have 50 minutes to complete their model.

Encourage students to only take materials they need and return anything they don’t use. This helps them develop a sustainability mindset and encourages principles of fairness and sharing.

Step 6.

Start the timer for 50 minutes. Walk around the room and assist students to find materials they require. Ask questions such as:

What is your design called?
What problem is it solving?
How does is work?
What materials would it be made out of in real life?

Step 7.

After 50 minutes, encourage the students to pack up any rubbish and return any materials they haven’t used to the tables or tubs.

Step 8.

Bring the students together to share their prototypes.

The share involves using a gallery walk around the room to view the work of others. Gallery walks are a great way to view everyone’s work. Invite the students to walk around the room without talking or touching the items, just as they would in an art gallery.

A gallery walk enables students to provide feedback on their peers' work. Display students' work around the classroom and place a piece of blank paper next to each work to collect votes on. Invite students to move around the room viewing each others' work.

As an extension, students could also record one thing they like about the posters displayed, one thing they wonder, and one thing that may improve the work.

Step 9.

You might like to hold a class-based STEM design awards ceremony, with the categories:

Most innovative idea
Best problem solver
Best effort
Best team member.

Look around for some actual STEM design awards! There are often grants and awards programs available to schools to support STEM projects.

Reflection

Invite students to reflect on how their design could contribute to solving the problem they identified, using the problem-based STEM sequence on the Student Worksheet:

Problem: What’s the problem? Why is it a problem? Who does it affect?
Idea: What bright new idea did you come up with to solve the problem?
Solution: What is the solution called? What does it look like? What is it made of? How does it work?
Action: How is the solution applied to the problem to get the best results? What’s the next step?

Differentiated learning

Extension:

This lesson can be extended into a STEM unit that allows students to build and share their STEM design ideas with the school or wider community. If you plan to bring your students’ ideas to life, this extension can be very rewarding. To start the process, students can write an email or letter to their principal, local community group or the local council or water authority to express their interest in solving a problem and to offer their ideas as a solution. They may request permission or funding to complete the project.
You might like to bring in STEM experts to share their real-world roles and introduce students to projects that are happening locally.
If you decide to go ahead with any student projects in the real world, bring in an expert to assist the students to bring their project to life.

Provisions for Learning Support:

One of the best ways to engage all students in prototype planning is to switch roles from a teacher to a co-facilitator.
Invite students to think about their design and how STEM is a part of it by asking questions during the design and prototyping process.
It might be worthwhile encouraging students to seek feedback on their designs before building their prototypes. This way, they can make changes to their design to make it more effective.

STEM - Solutions For The Real World

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