Hosted by OSOS , contributed by yairbh_nc on 23 May 2018
A PBL program to look for solutions to "real life" problems. The project will consist of weekly encounters. It begins with the imparting of skills in teamwork, followed by a division into professional courses (product design, Arduino, application development, management, marketing and research) and working groups (around 26 groups of 6 students per group, one from each professional specialization). Formation of the working groups is done around the departments of the local authority, in which each group, in its department, has to choose a subject to deal with, by following these steps: making research to identify needs, defining a problem, finding solutions and formulating a prototype or a model. At the end of the year, students will present their products at a festive event.
Opportunities for involving stakeholders from the community:
- Parents (especially if there arer experts in relevant fields);
- Academic researchers and lecturers from near institutions (The Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa University, Oranim college);
- Industry (representatives from different companies to support the pupils' projects);
- Local authority (The scope of the problem in which the entire project deals focuses on the surroundings of the community, and therefore the local authority will be recruited to join the project).
General resources needed:
- School staff: 1 teacher per 15 pupils
- computers (1 for every 2 pupils)
- Arduino + relevant accessories
- 3D printer
- equipment for makers workshop
Responsible Research and Innovation
One of the key aspects of OSOS is the inclusion of RRI - Responsible Research and Innovation principles (more information at RRI-Tools.eu). This is how the iSTEAM Accelerator fits into the RRI model:
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Governance |
students will be responsible for involving different stakeholders, with whom they will maintain a continuous relationship with the objective of improving problems in the school environment.
I.e.: Students will be in continuous contact with stakeholders, who will be involved in the different phases of the activity in order to achieve the best results of the project. students will communicate the different advances in a transparent and reflective way. |
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Public engagement |
Students will encourage the participation of stakeholders in the activity, making it proactive. Students will be able to make decisions collaboratively, sharing responsibility for the final results with stakeholders.
I.e.: students will get in touch with families and neighbors, whom they will interview and ask about problems around the school. In addition, all these external agents will be able to communicate to students both their opinions and what solution is better from their point of view, which will help students to make collective decisions. |
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Gender equality |
When considering the scientific project, from its conception to its final solution, students will take into account the gender dimension. To do this, they will make equal decisions and ask both men and women, analyzing if there are differences in their opinions.
I.e.: Equal work division between female and male students when working in groups. |
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Science Education |
Students will involve their environment to solve social problems and challenges through technology and science. The stakeholders can participate as active elements during the project.
I.e.: students will be supported by various types of stakeholders during different phases of the project, including both the search for challenges and problems and the proposal of solutions through Science that can solve them. |
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Ethics |
Students will align their research with social values and the needs of the environment. For this, they will share the responsibility with different stakeholders (such as neighbors and families), whose opinions will be taken into account when reflecting on the problems of the school environment.
I.e.: students will be able to take advantage of science to improve the dangers that may exist around the school, providing a technological solution that will be innovative and also social. |
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Open Access |
Students will be responsible for creating a series of materials that they can then disseminate to families and neighbors. To do this, they will study the types of licenses that exist and determine which are the most appropriate for their materials.
I.e.: the highlights of the projects and all the materials will be published to the public. The project will be advertised in local media and the facebook pages of the Municipality. |
Feel
Adressed Challenge:
The scope of the problem in which the entire project deals focuses on the environment in which the students reside. The students deal with problems in the community, in a way that strengthens their connection with it. The 'Feel' part of the project will initiate the formation of that connection.
As part of the program, the pupils' involvement in civic life in the community will be enhanced by the development of their projects, which will deal with the needs and problems of the residents of the town, such as various operational problems, environmental pollution, transportation barriers and needs that emerge from the whole human-geographic landscape which is Kiryat Tivon.
Weekly activities throughout the school year:
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# activity / lesson |
Objectives |
Details |
Comments |
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1 |
Have fun, experience group work, microcosm of the whole process Familiarity with the program, goals, methods of evaluation and products |
Lesson 1: Spirulomator - Working in groups to create a simple machine that draws spirals Lesson 2: Presentation of the deliverables + Presentation of the program |
In a classroom setting (class teacher) in groups of 5
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2+3 |
Familiarity with the various fields as will be expressed later in the courses, Experience group work in a complex and multi-dimensional project |
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In the project groups (6 students are mixed from all classes) |
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4 |
Reflection on the last project, division into courses |
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In the project groups |
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5 |
The students undergo a number of interdisciplinary courses that are responsible for various areas of the project: marketing, management, research, Erdoino, 3D product design and application development |
Meeting Courses No. 1 |
In large groups according to the courses, are mixed from all classes |
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6 |
Familiarity with the world of the problem (local authority), raising the need for the project, familiarity with the specific field that the group will deal with |
A meeting with council members about their departments, an explanation of the departments and what they do, in accordance with what the students are able to understand. |
In the project groups |
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7 |
Meeting Courses No. 2 |
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In the course groups |
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8 |
Identifying needs in the field they received - processing the information they produced from the studies |
Presenting the needs and processing of the studies carried out, and then prioritizing the needs |
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9 |
Meeting Courses No. 3 |
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In the course groups |
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10 |
Definition of the problem - the desired and desirable - the choice of the project in which they wish to deal, and preliminary brainstorming about possible solutions |
The process of defining a problem for the more interesting needs that came up and deciding what problem they are trying to answer |
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11 |
Meeting Courses No. 4 |
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In the course groups |
Imagine
After presented with the abilities of the local authority, the students are supposed to decide for themselves which problems to attend and how to achieve their solutions.
Special attention will be given to the devision of the roles within the groups, in order to encourage them to experiance defferent roles and to avoid stereotipic devision - for example, the girls will be encouraged to participate in the technical works (e.g. working with the arduino) and the boys will be encouraged to take part in other aspects (such as documentation of the working process and dissemination). In addition, the involvement of parents and experts will be directed to be gender balanced.
Ethical aspects will be examined and integrated into each of the pupils' work, both when developing their ideas and as a reflection in the later stages of the project's consolidation.
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# activity / lesson |
Objectives |
Details |
Comments |
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12 |
Raising different solutions - research: how to solve the problem in the world, or similar problems |
Comparing different existing solutions, looking at limitations as opportunities, raising all possible solutions and prioritizing them |
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13 |
Meeting Courses No. 5 |
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In the course groups |
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14 |
Choosing an application solution, Minimum Project Definition (MVP) |
Set the desired final selection and set the MVP to display |
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15 |
Meeting Courses No. 6 |
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In the course groups |
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16 |
Meeting Courses No. 7 |
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In the course groups |
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17 |
Presentation of the solution before division into courses |
Build a slideshow of 2 slides and present it in a minute play |
The presentation is built in the project groups, but is presented to colleagues in the course groups |
Create
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# activity / lesson |
Objectives |
Details |
Comments |
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18 |
Serious progress in product development |
High School Special Event- "Makeathon" |
In groups, with academic parents and access to machines. Managed as a makeathon |
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19 |
Meeting Courses No. 8 and last |
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In the course groups |
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20 |
Progress in development + Preparing for presentation to the target population |
Back to defining the problem and formulating the justification for the solution, meeting the groups with the customer population for the purpose of reflecting on the product |
In the project groups |
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21 |
Processing the dialogue with the "client", and sharpening the solution by means of the conclusions |
A tool for identifying problems that arise from "customers" and turning them into opportunities for new things, and an opportunity to expand to additional audiences, and / or adapting the product to additional audiences |
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