Engage in Iteration
As you watch the video:
- Think about a systematic engineering design process. How does iteration fit into the process?
- Notice how the activity is set up to so that youth must revise and improve their solutions.
- Listen to how the facilitators encourage youth to explain their thinking as they revise their solution.
Now that you’ve watched the video, reflect on what you saw.
- What strategies would you like to use to encourage youth to test and revise their solutions?
- How can you set up engineering activities so youth are able to improve their ideas?
- How can you support critical thinking skills through engineering experiences?
Explore Engineering Practices
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Using Questions for Many Purposes
Watch an experienced frontline staff member, Katie, use purposeful questions to encourage youth to think deeply about their STEM learning experience.
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Balance Criteria and Constraints that Require Trade-offs
Engineers make trade-offs to balance competing factors as they solve problems. As youth create enrichment toys for zoo animals, they balance the animals’ safety with keeping them engaged.
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Linking My Experiences to Societal Needs
Watch as Gauri, the frontline staff member, helps the youth connect the activity to prior knowledge, experiences and societal needs and strategize how you might do this as well.