Open-Ended Learning: Spaghetti Bridges
For this project it was suggested that we choose something that is meaningful to us. For me, one of my major concerns is that students have lost the ability to think critically or apply information outside of the exact context that they’ve learned from. When they ask for “help,” what they’re really asking for is the answer; they don’t actually want to understand why it is the answer. They’re obsessed with the percentage at the top of the test paper, not the ability to understand the topic and use the knowledge again in the future.
Zhao et al. (2016) talks about the
idea of Boomerang Kids who need to return home to live with their parents
because they do not have the skills to be financially independent. In just one
generation, the percentage of youth that fall into this category has increased
from 10% to 60%. Honestly, I am not surprised by this statistic at all. I teach
in a middle school and many students come to class empty handed; they “can’t be
bothered” to bring a pencil or book. Then, there are those that bring the
supplies, but “can’t be bothered” to use them. Basic skills such as arriving to
class on time, or simple manners such as saying please or thank-you are few and
far between.
Students have lost the ability to
function as contributing members of society. Is it because of the pandemic? I’m
sure it didn’t help, but I think it runs a lot deeper than that. Is technology to
blame? There are so many positive and amazing advantages that have evolved
because of technology, but the constant scrolling through social media has
become mind-numbing. Students never want to think about anything; their automatic response is to Google it. In my Outdoor Skills class students could
not understand why you would ever need use a map and compass when you have a
cell phone. When I asked what if they battery died, they just said “bring a
portable charger.” Can you sense my frustration yet?!?!
So, as I was trying to figure
out what in the world I could do that may engage the students enough that they
would take some incentive and run with, I decided on a competition of sorts. I chose
my grade 7 Technology class because I have the most flexibility with what I do
in that class and it is a small group of only a dozen students.
The Challenge: Who can build the strongest bridge with 200 sticks of spaghetti?
The students could choose if they wanted to work alone, with a partner or a small group of three students. I told them I would provide little guidance, other than what was provided in the following booklet: Spaghetti Bridges Booklet. I found this on Teachers Pay Teachers from user Creative Lab.
Day 1: Research
on bridge design
Observations:
- About half of the class was engaged at this point. The students who were focused on building a quality bridge watched YouTube videos of competitions to get ideas. They also made notes in their booklets with information about different types of bridges and parts of bridges. They started to focus on using triangles to design a strong bridge.
- Some students chose to work independently. Some students paired themselves with friends, but others paired themselves with a student that seemed to have a plan.
- A few students made no plans and played games on the computers instead.
Day 2: Planning & Designing
Observations:
- Students spent time planning out the design for their bridge using graph paper.
- Based on their research, some students requested tape, string and rubber bands in addition to glue to help in the construction of their bridges.
- Some students skipped the planning stage and decided to build their bridge free-style. These same students were not taking the challenge seriously. They didn't count out their 200 sticks beforehand. They had to spoken to multiple times for their behavior and making a mess on purpose, such as putting hot glue all over the tables.
- It was a slow start, but I didn't want them to be discouraged as they worked through the logistics of making their designs a reality, so I didn't put any time limit on the building process.
- This benefited those who were trying to succeed, but added to the unproductiveness of those who were not engaged.
- I tried my best to encourage all of the student to succeed, giving them small tips or suggestions to move them in the right direction, but I found that the students were either all-in or not at all.
- One particular student, who is on an alternate curriculum due to his low level of reading and writing skills, was very into the project. I never had a single behavioral issue with him, which is very unusual compared to the regular classroom experience. He wanted to build, he helped clean up and he actively contributed ideas to his group members.
- All students were actively building and at least somewhat engaged (finally!)
- I think this was motivated by seeing some of the other student's projects coming together. The competitive nature in them seemed sparked by this.
- Still no behavioral issues from the student mentioned above - his engagement in the project kept him focused and on task all class.
- Students made the following comments:
- "This is fun."
- "I like doing this!"
- "Can we do another project after this one?"
- At this point, I realized that the students were not going to finish their bridges in time for me to finish this project. I panicked at first, but then realized the whole point was to engage the students and that was happening.
- The bridges are still in progress and the students are currently on Easter break, but when we return we will finish them.
Zhao, Y. (2016). Intro plus Chapter 1 - The Global Campus. In The take-action guide to world class learners. Essay, Corwin, A SAGE Company.
Zhao, Y., & Tavangar, H. S. (2016). Intro - To Create is Human. In World class learners: Personalized education for autonomous learning and student-driven curriculum. Essay, Corwin.
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