Identify the Problem
What is the problem? What are the restraints?
Research the Problem
Are there previous solutions for this problem? Are there similar problems that were solved? If so, how was it solved?
Develop Possible Solutions
Explain the solutions and how they will work. Include pictures of sketches and graphic organizers.
Select the Best Possible Solution
What is your solution? Why is this the best?
Construct a Prototype
Include picture of completed prototype.
Test Solution
Take notes and/or video for your records
Evaluate the Solution
What worked well and why? What did not work well? What can be changed to make this better?
Redesign
If your design didn't work and/or you can improve it, review your findings from your design report and redesign.
This document is meant to guide the student to success for each assignment and allow a structure to write the report. At the end of each assignment, students have a well throughout and organized report that can be used in their portfolio to showcase their work and progress throughout the year. Please use your favorite method or rubric to grade these reports. During this brainstorming process students are encouraged to use graphic organizers to collect and organizer their ideas, along with their group's ideas. The one that is the most versatile is a web chart, which centers around a subject or problem, solutions and ideas can branch off. This graphic organizer can be ever expanding. See Figure 2.
This class is also based on the teaching practice of gamification. This takes lessons, projects, and assignments and gives them a point value as opposed to a traditional letter grade. This then turns any assignment into a game rather than schoolwork. It allows for students to develop a connection the assignment as they would their favorite game. It also takes students who may not like and/or do well with traditional grading and give it a different platform to showcase their learning and skills as they are developed. Students also gain skills with teamwork and sportsmanship. The teacher can set up their course in a few ways when using this system. First, each student needs to receive a certain number or points to pass for the marking period. Different value of points can represent different letter grades; for example, an A letter grade could equal 500 points, B could represent 400 point, etc. Different assignments and projects can be a certain amount of points, and student can choose what they will complete in order to accumulate their points. Points could be awarded to students who help their peers achieve goals and success, as well as for putting extra time into their work. Another way is to have each project broken down into points, and students receive points for each step completed. This is how the project written out in this unit will be formatted. This is a nice way to set up students to think outside the box and succeed. Students will realize that they don't always need to complete all the tasks in the project briefing to do well. If there is a part that they can not figure out how to complete, they can find a way to gain points in a different way, and they will be able to calculate how they and their group will do before the assignment is submitted and tested. This makes a very clear and visible grading practice for students, parents, and teachers. Allowing the students to test their work until the due date and make modifications as needed to improve their work gives them the confidence and skills to solve real world and working condition problems. They use the design report through out these projects.
Part of the 21
st
century competences are Communication and Collaboration, as well as Citizenship and Responsibility. Students will learn how to work better in groups and also take responsibility for their work and actions. In this course, students receive three grades for each project. One is for their design report, another is for their group project, which is calculated with points, and the third is a participation grade. This participation grade was developed while working and brainstorming with other colleagues. In Robotics, students work in groups for a majority of the projects. If a group of four earns an 80% on a project, the final product, the group will receive 80 points for each member, totaling 320. The group will be given the 320 points and asked to divide the points amongst themselves. Each group member will write how many points out of the 320 that they deserve and why they deserve those points. The group will share their answers and come to a consensus to determine how many points each of them has earned based on their effort and participation in the group. The group must then write out a justification explaining why they each deserve the amount of points. Their decisions will be entered as a participation grade.
For example, if Student A, B, C, and D earn an 80 they will receive 320 points in total. Student A and B did most of the work and were only absent once. They could give themselves 90 points each; now there are only 140 points left. They may think that student C did a good job but was absent three times, so that student deserves 80 points. As for student D, that student skipped class a few times, and while in class, didn't contribute and would socialize with other groups. Student D would get the remaining 60 points. All the group members would come to consensus and write up their justifications for a participation grade during the classes closing activity and reflection time.
