Engineering Designing/STEM Based Project
Introduction
To start, you may want to watch the video (link below)–“What isChemical Engineering?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UXwbxM8YfI
students will understand the importance of chemical engineering as a field of study for safe waste disposal and continuous research to help sustainability of human life. Further, initiate a discussion regarding the research on Bio plastics that have a great future
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt8V0UShxPE)
and the revolutionised process of converting plastic to fuels
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YUMHAtzuJY).
Informative videos are given alongside in brackets for teacher’s reference or to show the students if time permits.
Encourage the students to follow the engineering design process in their following activity too. Explain the process if they are unaware of it.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxJWin195kU)
Part – 1 –Planning, Brainstorming and Research
Tell your students that today they are a team of environmentalists and chemical engineers who believe in “catching them young”, have an important and challenging task to build awareness among the primary school (of their own or some other school) about the harm plastics cause to all life on earth. They need to highlight the fact that each one of us can make a difference and save the environment and our future.
The poster and model presentation(reuse of item) they create needs to be interesting and informative to leave the desired impact on the young and curious minds. Discuss the 3 common R’s that can change our future and support the same by showing them the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4ZT3BjZMz8.
Instruct them that their task is to utilise the two R’S:REDUCE AND REUSE to make a difference. Also discuss why awareness programs are a necessity for a successful and effective drive against plastics. Take this opportunity to discuss the ‘Devastating Mumbai floods in 2005’ where plastics clogging drainage systems were blamed for the disaster, something the public was totally unawareof!
Let the students sit in the made teams and brain storm. Students first need to understand the problem in hand and then work towards resolving it by planning their activities.
While planning the students need to adhere to the following rules of engagement:
- Equal distribution of work within a team, is a must for timely completion.
- Teams need to research (Internet safe sites or Encyclopaedia) on the harmful effects of the plastic item given to them.
- Students discuss and share ideas to list the ways and means of reusing and reducing the use of the plastic item given to them.
- Students sketch their innovative creations to reuse their items in the scribble zone given in the workbooks and give the demand list, to the teacher, for the materials they need for the same.
- Students need to research for new and better alternatives to replace the plastic item so that the absence of the same does not cause inconvenience to people.
- Students need to check feasibility of the alternative which should be usable on a large scale.
Part – 2 –Students collate their research and ideas to make a poster
- Instruct the students to make colourful poster showing the methods and alternatives to REDUCE the use of the harmful plastic item..
- The students need to give an interesting heading to their poster and it needs to have content under the following subheadings: ENEMY (item), DANGERS (harmful effects), WAR STRATEGY (ways to reduce the use), BEFRIEND (alternatives) and YOU ARE A HERO! (how they can make a difference too)
- The posters need to be colourful with illustrations and pictures keeping the interest of the audience in mind.
Part – 3 – Students reutilise the items and re- engineer their creations to make their optimum use.
- The students work on their plastics to make the best out of the given waste! The teacher can suggest and guide the students to enforce creative thinking.
- The students need to put all three plastics to use in an innovative and interesting ways.
- The reuse of one of the three can be demonstrated before the audience during the presentation if it is feasible and fits within the time constraint. (optional)
Part – 4 –Planned and Rehearsed Presentation
The teams are required to plan and rehearse their demo and presentation to time it and gain confidence. The following points need to be kept in mind while preparing for the same.
- The total presentation should not exceed 15 minutes.
- All the team members need to participate for the presentation.
- The students need to close the presentation with a question round for the audience.
- Culminate the whole activityby asking students to reflect on the entire design process and how they contributed effectively to the community with this activity. Have students fill in the L column of the K-W-H-L.
- Students will need record the activities from planning to presentation in the engineering workbook. A student, at any point, should be able to state what the goal of the activity is and what steps he/she took in order to make the learning outcome happen.
- To conclude ask the students to fill the summative questions in the workbook.
