New Lesson Plan: STEAM Design Challenge

Do you want to bring a fresh design challenge to your students? How about one from an ISTE expert?

You’ve come to the right place! Steven Jones, co-chair of the ISTE STEM personal learning network, has compiled a very special lesson plan that focuses on prototyping. He put the lesson to the test with his students at Hauser Jr. High in Riverside, Illinois with amazing results! We had the opportunity to ask Steven some questions, and he shared some helpful tips for teaching in the classroom.

3D pen art on notebook with sticky notes

"“By accepting that failure is part of the learning process on the path to success, students will be more likely to persevere in the future.”"-Steven Jones

STEAM Design Challenge: Chair Prototyping

Time Required: 3 to 4 40-minute sessions

Skill Level: Intermediate

Recommended Grades: 6th to 8th

For this STEAM based lesson, students will work individually or with a partner. They will use 3Doodler pens to iteratively develop a chair design using criteria and constraints.

Thanks for taking the time to meet with us. Do you have any tips for other teachers administering lessons that incorporate 3Doodler pens?

I would recommend that teachers start small and build up to bigger projects. If you are not used to utilizing technology like this, you and your students might become disheartened if you initially try something that is not successful. Try a simple, introductory project first and support your students in becoming familiar with the technology, then the sky’s the limit.

Do you have tips for teachers hoping to create their own mini activities for classroom use with 3Doodler, or EdTech in general?

Think about the purpose of what you want to accomplish at the end. Use technology in a unique way to help achieve a goal. Technology is a tool and tools need good ideas. Once you understand your goal for learning, then it should be easy to create activities that integrate versatile technologies such as 3Doodler pens.

Can you share tips on supporting student engagement from day to day in the classroom?

Don’t be afraid to get feedback from your students. Nobody is perfect. By offering the opportunity for students to share their ideas with you, it is possible to turn good lessons into great lessons. Part of the reason that great lessons are successful is because there is a high level of student engagement due to the incorporation of student input and interests.