STEM Project Problems? Here’s How to Solve Them!
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Have you ever been in the middle of a STEM project and encountered an unexpected problem? What did you do?
As much as I plan, I still run into problems. Students do not always tackle a STEM project the way you expect, and you need to be ready with quick solutions. I have a few to share with you!
A Quick Look
I have seven STEM challenges to show you. In each one, we ran into a problem that needed a solution to make the work meaningful.
Let’s take a closer look at these STEM projects:
- Flood Control
- Newton’s Cradles
- Robotic HAnds
- Designing a Robot
- !2 Straws (Towers)
- Balloon Rockets
- Water Pipelines
Flood Control Project
In this project teams are building a barrier to protect a tiny house. This is challenging because the house is made of paper.
What’s the problem? In my test class, teams were not as invested in this project as I expected. They were not bothered if their paper houses got wet.
Then I had an idea! The house needed to be important to them. At first, I considered designating the house as the one they lived in, or even our school.
However, I didn’t want this to be too dramatic (scary).
So, what if we made the house for something they really love. And that made all the difference. I described it to the next class like this: Your dog’s house is under a tree in your backyard. It is slightly downhill, and when it rains, the drainage makes your dog’s house flood. Build a barrier to protect your dog’s house.
Solution: Creating a scenario that has a sympathetic appeal to students will lead to greater care in completing the project. Side note: Teams even made little clay dogs for their doghouses. They loved the scenario.
Small Paper Boxes (for doghouses)
Newton’s Cradles
This little challenge is a perfect demonstration for Newton’s 3rd Law and students love completing these.
What’s the problem? Teams in my test class focused on attaching the marbles to the string and the frame. They needed to do this! But then we ran into problems they didn’t think about.
The marbles have to be perfectly aligned and hanging at the same height. And, they can have no space between them. If strings are too long or marbles too far apart the device will not work.
I learned so much in the test class! As the next classes arrived to begin, I spent more time letting them watch a purchased Newton’s cradle before they started their own. I asked pointed questions to get students to notice the length of the string, the placement of the marbles, and the alignment.
Solution: The final result of a project may depend on all the tiny parts completed. One little mistake can keep the device from working.
Craft sticks for STEM Projects
Robotic Hands
The first time I tried this project, every team used the same materials. The hand was made from a plastic glove, and we stuffed it with tissue to give it a shape.
These were hard to develop. The stuffing was awkward, and attaching the string to the flimsy plastic was difficult.
What’s the problem? I let my thinking control the development of this challenge. When I noticed the test class was struggling, I stopped and asked them what could be changed to improve this project.
NOTE: I do this often! Students will always help with great ideas and it is almost always something I would have never thought about! Let your students make suggestions.
The test class was quick to tell me they needed different materials for the hand. They suggested cardboard, and they wanted straws for the strings to be threaded through. (The original challenge used pipe cleaners.)
Solution: I provided all the materials the test class requested and allowed the teams to choose what they needed for their design. Having the choice based on the design is something students enjoy!
Design a Robot
I created this Robot Design Challenge for 3rd graders. I thought they would need very little guidance to create a robot that would perform a normal task.
What’s the problem? They needed more guidance! Teams spent too much time trying to decide what their robot would do and did not have time to build.
I quickly determined that the students needed a more defined goal. And, a better explanation of what it means to build a robot that can perform a normal task. In my test class, a team told me their robot was going to save the galaxy. This is when I knew we had a problem.
Solution: I invented a much better scenario. The class was told that they work for a robot company. Each team is to invent a robot that could be sold in a department store at a low cost. The robot should be able to perform a chore or a task that humans would need. I added that teams should consider the chores around the house that their mom, dad, or even themselves would like a robot to perform. The models built using this scenario were garbage can pushers, vacuum cleaners, yard workers, and pooper scoopers for pets.
12 Straws Towers
In this project, teams are given 12 straws and some tape. They are to build the tallest tower possible.
What’s the problem? The towers look very, very similar. There are not many ways to do this one. I needed to create a better reason for building the towers.
Solution: I added a building requirement. Teams were told to build a replica of a famous landmark. To refine this challenge more, I handed out a page for each team showing four famous landmarks. Teams chose the one they wanted to build!
You have to admit that Eiffel tower in the photo looks nice!
Balloon Rockets
Our Balloon rockets are devices that will be propelled by a balloon. It’s a great demonstration of Newton’s 3rd law.
We had our rockets attached to a vertical string and they were supposed to blast off like a rocket and move along the vertical path.
What’s the problem? What does a rocket look like? Teams wanted to build realistic rocket and add the balloons to it. The air from the released balloons would make the rocket travel.
Did it work? Some did. The one in the photo was a failure.
Solution: We had to stop class to discuss what was going wrong with most of the rockets. (I already knew but wanted students to voice it rather than being told by me.) A student finally mentioned that the one rocket that never mpved was made of multiple large index cards. Maybe it was too heavy. Aha! That is exactly what was happening. The rockets needed to be lightweight.
TIP: Always, always stop and discuss when problems arise. Students can talk through what is happening and use the evidence from their failures to find the solution needed. This gives all teams a chance to be successful and is true teamwork!
Water Pipelines
The water pipelines STEM project is a fabulous real-life challenge. Teams build a gravity-fed system to transfer water from a tall holding tank to a smaller intake tank via a water line.
What’s the problem? Why would you need this? Our students have never had to collect water from outside their homes.
Solution: For a project like this one, students must have a backstory. I had students research before we began. They looked for Panama on a map, and then viewed gravity-fed tanks and water lines in rural Panama.
The scenario we used was this: Your team works for a charity that installs new water tanks in rural areas without running water. Your job is to design a tank that can be used by rural villages. The small tank will hold water draining from a larger, elevated tank, and villagers can gather water at the smaller tank. The best design will be adopted by the company you work for. This worked well!
I hope you have found some great tips in this post. The ideas for each challenge can work for many other situations! STEM projects will always have problems to solve- but that is why we love them!
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