Week 3: Technoology Design Brief

August 10, 2010

Today, we did a great activity called a design brief. it was based on making a little picture of a frog jump. We were given a small piece of cardboard, a rubber band, and a limited amount of sticky tape. We were required to work in partners.
The method is based on:
1) Investigate/Design
2) Produce
3) Analysis/Evaluation

These headings can be placed on a page and the students are encouraged to fill out the sections. In the Investigate/Design section- students write their thought processes. E.g. "We thought of folding the cardboard in the middle and then we decided to fold it at the end."

In the produce section- The students write what they actually did. E.g. "I folded the paper into 3." The students write the stages of what they tried to their final product.

In the final section, the students analyse their creation. This could be done after everyone shares their ideas. This is an opportunity for students to practice some higher order thinking. They could describe how they could have made their "jumping frog better" or why their design was effective.

An important component is sharing and reflecting on what they did. The students should be given a couple days to complete their final draft. The final products are great to use to decorate the classroom. Incorporating design briefs into your regular teaching routine makes learning more fun, especially if the problem is presented as a surprise. This could be achieved by using "secret envelopes" with the problem. Using this teaching strategy helps to improve student speaking skill and other related topics could be liked to these problems. In this situation, it could be used to initiate a discussion or lessons on energy because rubber bands have energy potential.

Other skills also required in this type of lesson include, writing skills, eye coordination, team work, problem solving skills etc., Thus, it is a very good lesson format to use in my regular classroom.