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TEMPLATE: Generating Authentic Design Problems
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Topic Area/Content:
What do you want your students to learn?
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Generating Authentic Design Problems
Original concept from Chapter 4 "NYSCI Design Lab: No bored kids" by Dorothey Bennett and Peggy Monahan in Design, Make, Play: Growing the next generation of STEM innovators edited by Margaret Honey & David E Kanter published by Routledge 2013.
Settings:
Big Ideas:
Brainstorm places and situations that students may encounter or be interested in that are relevant to the topic/content that needs to be taught
What ideas and STEM concepts must be understood to solve the possible problems that students are likely to voluntarily select based on the setting and characters provided.
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General Recommendations
Best choice/s:
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Avoid narrowly defining the problem and if possible simply provide a motivating setting and context. This will help you engage the students who naturally are less-inclined to STEM by allowing (and even encouraging) them to choose their own problem in this setting and make it unique to their interests.
Prime students before hand. Challenge them to think about the setting as it relates to their experiences and challenge them to think of problems to solve in that setting.
Whenever possible repurpose materials (aluminum foil for wires, cardboard boxes, ...). This will help students become resourceful and innovative as well as teach them the properties of things in their everyday lives and invite them to explore the everyday world through new eyes (vuja de).
As best possible present the setting in a realistic hands-on way and provide a few sample projects to spark student interest and creativity. As students accomplish projects invite some of them to donate their creative work as an example for future students to see.
Leave the learners in control (i.e. they decide the specific problem that they try to solve) and help them feel free to experiment. Practice being a guide-on-the-side or coach rather than a sage-on-the-stage.
Celebrate their work.
Help students reflect on their accomplishments, what they learned, and what they might do differently.
Example from NYSCI museums "Happy City" project: What could you add to your neighborhood to make people smile?
Characters:
Potential Problems:
List at least 4 potential problems to solve in the setting/s.
List at least 4 characters who might be part of the setting/s.
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