Comments on: 3 Ways to Make Research Fun

By: Anne Jolly

Anne Jolly — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 19:02:13 +0000

Marsha, this is a really solid, useful practice. One thing we preach in science is that the more data you have, the more reliable the results are. You can make much better decisions using multiple sets of data. Think how much higher the reliability was with 45 sets of data than with one.

Was this a difficult process to set up? Did you set up a spreadsheet and did the kids understand how to enter the data? What would make this way of collecting data a smooth process for teachers?

I love the idea!

By: Anne Jolly

Anne Jolly — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 15:06:22 +0000

You’re so right! Who’d have ever thought that “research” would mean digging in to a hands-on investigations to get information? I think this might actually be a breakthrough idea for some teachers and students (and professors).

By: Marsha Ratzel

Marsha Ratzel — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 14:57:49 +0000

Dear Amy,

I think the WHAT is an interesting idea. Building enthusiasm is always key…and as they get into the real work of doing the investigating, they will get into it more and more.

By: Marsha Ratzel

Marsha Ratzel — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 14:56:31 +0000

Dear Anne,

You said “This investigation was actually the research phase of the project because teams were collecting and analyzing information they would use to make decisions about their final barrier design (their engineering challenge). Hands-on investigations are exciting ways to engage students in research. Be sure students know exactly what information they need to collect for their engineering challenge.”

I think you’ve raised a helpful perspective. So often people ignore that students can build models of real-life and do some testing. This week I did something similar. We built bridges from paper….first looking at how bridges can be strengthened by adding layers and then changing the investigation to the length of the span for a single layer.

What we did to elevate the learning was to then combine all the research outcomes. As students completed their testing, they entered their results into an Excel spreadsheet we posted on the SmartBoard. By the day’s end, we had 45 different sets of experimental data. The next day, we were able to talk about why an individual pair’s data might be the same or different than what the class, as a whole experienced. Then we compared each class to the other three hours.

I think this kind of researching from their own investigations is powerful. Using Excel amps it up and helps them generalize. Do you think that this might be an interium step before they build a prototype?

By: Melissa Dean

Melissa Dean — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 14:22:45 +0000

Your description of student reaction to “Research” is so true! When I was in school, that was what research meant, and I hated it. What I love about research during an engineering challenge is that it broadens the research horizon for students (and sometimes teachers).

By: Anne Jolly

Anne Jolly — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 18:37:28 +0000

I love the part about giving them space to discuss the problem and possible solutions. That’s probably the most mind-developing part of the process. What sort of topics do you give them to investigate?

By: Three Ways to Make Student STEM Research Fun | MiddleWeb | Aprendiendo a Distancia | Scoop.it

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 19:51:10 +0000

[...] Students don't have to rely on books to research STEM projects. There's also scientific investigation, digital investigation, and consultation with experts. [...]

By: Amy Johnson

Amy Johnson — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 15:25:26 +0000

I find it helpful to let the children participate in the decision of WHAT they will research or investigate. If they are interested in a topic, they will be more motivated to use the tools available to achieve the outcome. I present a set of “problems” and give them “space” to discuss the problem, possible solutions, and then investigate the part that interests them the most.