We have been learning the expectations (Be Safe, Be Respectful, and Be Responsible) and practicing the routines that keep the hustle and bustle of the STEM Lab running smoothly. Many of our activities have provided us opportunities to know how to successfully do the following:
- work respectfully with a partner and/or with a group
- work safely with the STEM tools
- responsibly use various supplies and put them away
Engineering Design Process
The engineering design process is a creative, hands-on method that engineers use to solve problems and design solutions. For elementary students, this process is usually broken down into a simple, cyclical set of steps, meaning they might go back and forth between steps as they work and improve their ideas.
The Engineering Design Process
- Ask: First, the students define the problem they are trying to solve. This involves asking questions like, "What do we need to do?" and "What are the rules or limits?"
- Imagine: Next, they brainstorm as many ideas as they can! No idea is a bad idea at this stage. They might also look at how others have solved similar problems in the past (research).
- Plan: The students select their best idea and make a plan. This often involves drawing a picture of their solution and listing the materials they will need.
- Create: This is where the building happens! They follow their plan to build a model or prototype (a first version) of their solution.
- Improve: Once their solution is built, they test it to see how well it works. The most important part is figuring out how to make it even better, and then going back to an earlier step (like planning or creating) to make those improvements.
This iterative process teaches children important skills like problem-solving, creative thinking, teamwork, and perseverance, all while showing them that failure is just a stepping stone to a better solution.
