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Is the education of Industrial, technology and design a dying art?

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Protocols for engaging First Nations Australians

When planning teaching activities involving engagement with First Nations Australians, teachers should follow protocols that describe principles, procedures and behaviours for recognising and respecting First Nations Australians and their intellectual property. Teachers should use approved resources such as those that may be provided by their state or territory school system, or First Nations Australian education consultative groups, or other protocols accredited by First Nations Australians.

While the Australian Curriculum uses the terms "First Nations Australians" and "Australian First Nations Peoples" there may be other terms that First Nations Australians of a particular area or location prefer. It is important to use the terms preferred in a particular area or location.

Meeting the needs of diverse learners

The Australian Curriculum values diversity by providing for multiple means of representation, action, expression and engagement and allows schools the flexibility to respond to the diversity of learners within their community. All schools have a responsibility when implementing the Australian Curriculum to ensure that students' learning is inclusive, and relevant to their experiences, abilities and talents.

For some students with diverse languages, cultures, abilities and talents it may be necessary to provide a range of curriculum adjustments so they can access age-equivalent content in the Australian Curriculum and participate in learning on the same basis as their peers. Depending on the ability and interests of each student, adjustments to the tools, equipment, processes, materials, systems and components used in Technologies may be necessary to provide equitable opportunities for students or to provide a safer learning experience.

The broad content and having high expectations for all learners allows for the creation of solutions through many modalities, with appropriate adjustment. Assistive technologies and augmentative and alternative communication devices should be made available as and where appropriate.

Adjustments to the delivery of Technologies could involve actions such as:

providing innovation opportunities and scaffolding of resources for students to access and engage in learning at their own pace as a review or extension activity

acknowledging the assistive technology continuum of no tech, low tech, mid tech or high tech when planning learning experiences

designing open-ended tasks that provide flexibility and can be completed at different levels of complexity

selecting Technologies content in keeping with the goals of the student, maintaining high expectations and considering safety, including adjusting the types of materials, equipment and digital tools used.

Identifying and managing risk in the Technologies learning area addresses the safe use of technologies as well as risks that can affect project timelines. It covers all necessary aspects of health, safety and injury prevention and, in any Technologies situation, the use of potentially dangerous materials, tools and equipment. It includes ergonomics, online safety, and ethical and legal considerations when communicating and collaborating online.

Technologies learning experiences may involve the use of potentially hazardous substances and hazardous equipment. It is the responsibility of the school to ensure that duty of care is exercised in relation to the health and safety of all students and that school practices meet the requirements of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 in addition to relevant state or territory health and safety guidelines.

In implementing projects with a focus on food, care also must be taken with regard to food safety and specific food allergies that may result in anaphylactic reactions. The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy has published guidelines for prevention of anaphylaxis in schools, preschools and childcare. Some states and territories have their own specific guidelines that should be followed.

When planning to incorporate immersive technologies - augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality or extended reality - in learning experiences, teachers should consider the manufacturer's guidelines as well as other issues including the physical, cognitive, linguistic, emotional, social and moral developmental stage of learners. See the eSafety Commissioner's explicit advice on the risks of immersive technologies use in its position statement: www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/tech-trends-and-challenges/immersive-tech

The use of drones (remotely piloted aircraft) or model aircraft for educational purposes at education institutions is considered "flying for fun" under Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) guidelines; however, teachers should also consider their education jurisdiction's governance standards. CASA's Drones at school webpage www.casa.gov.au/drones/drones-at-school lists requirements and tips for teachers and educators on issues such as health, safety and privacy for any drone operation. State and territory school education authorities can give further and more detailed advice on drones in schools.

Privacy and security

Identifying and managing the implications of and concerns related to the collection and generation of data through automated and non-automated processes addresses the risks that can affect secure engagement with digital systems.

Privacy includes recognising the risks that are faced online and the mitigation strategies involved in managing them. In Australia, guidance on best practice for privacy is informed by the Australian Privacy Principles, the cornerstone of the privacy protection framework in the Privacy Act 1988. For more information visit: www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/australian-privacy-principles

Security covers the development of appropriate technical, social, cognitive, communicative and decision-making skills to address online and network security risks. It includes data security, and ethical and legal considerations when working with and designing digital systems. When engaging with and designing digital systems, identifying and managing security threats and mitigation in a data-intensive world is paramount.

In Australia, guidance on best practice for cyber security is informed by the cyber security principles. These principles provide strategic guidance on how individuals and organisations can protect their systems and data from cyber threats.

For more information visit: www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/view-all-content/guidance

Copyright

Identifying and managing the implications of copyright and intellectual property in the Technologies learning area addresses the ethical and legal responsibilities around ownership and repurposing of designs and digital content. It covers all necessary aspects of plagiarism, copyright, fair use and licensing and, in any Technologies situation, the respect of intellectual property rights.

In Australia, copyright law is contained in the Copyright Act 1968. For more copyright information and resources see:

Smartcopying: https://smartcopying.edu.au

Australian Copyright Council: https://www.copyright.org.au

Australian Digital Alliance: https://digital.org.au

Creative Commons Australia: https://creativecommons.org.au

Short Guide to Copyright: www.infrastructure.gov.au/media-centre/publications/short-guide-copyright

Intellectual property

Intellectual property laws include protection for registered designs, products and plant varieties and should be respected when students are designing solutions (including digital systems and repurposing computer code).

For more information and resources visit IP Australia: www.ipaustralia.gov.au

See Smartcopying https://smartcopying.edu.au/contact-us for relevant contact details.

For more information about relevant guidelines for safety, cyber security, copyright and intellectual property, teachers should contact their state or territory education authority.

Designing for safety and equity

There are opportunities in Technologies for students to apply Safety by Design principles and universal design principles when designing solutions.

Safety by Design focuses on the ways designers of digital solutions can minimise online threats by anticipating, detecting and eliminating online harms before they occur. This proactive and preventive approach focuses on embedding safety into the culture of the design process. It emphasises accountability and aims to foster more positive, civil and rewarding online experiences for everyone.

For more information go to the Office of the eSafety Commissioner. The Safety by Design Vision for Young People is available at: www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/safety-by-design/principles-and-background

The eSafety Commissioner also has specific advice for educators via its Toolkit for Schools resources: www.esafety.gov.au/educators/toolkit-schools

The 7 Principles of Universal Design were developed to guide the design of environments, products and communications. The universal design principles provide an opportunity to create solutions that respond to the changing circumstances of people and to changes in technologies. When students apply the principles, they create products that change and adapt for everyone. In Technologies, the 7 principles may be applied to evaluate existing designed and digital solutions, guide students through the design process and provide them with guidance on the characteristics which support products, services and environments so they are more accessible and usable by consumers.

For more information and to further explore these principles visit: https://universaldesignaustralia.net.au

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Protocols for engaging First Nations Australians When planning teaching activities involving engagement with First Nations Australians, teachers should follow protocols that describe principles, procedures and behaviours for recognising and respecting First Nations Australians and their intellectual property.

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This particular resource I found very useful when starting out a unit that is practical and relatable to our current world environment and thought students would engage in.

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Overview

Year 10

In this lesson, students explore how architects consider sustainability factors when designing innovative climate-resilient homes. Students then design their own climate-resilient home for a location of their choice.

Curriculum alignment

Design and Technologies

AC9TDE10K01 - analyse how people in design and technologies occupations consider ethical, security and sustainability factors to innovate and improve products, services and environments.

AC9TDE10K02 - analyse the impact of innovation, enterprise and emerging technologies on designed solutions for global preferred futures.

AC9TDE10K06 - analyse and make judgements on how characteristics and properties of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment can be combined to create designed solutions.

AC9TDE10P01 - analyse needs or opportunities for designing, develop design briefs and investigate, analyse and select materials, systems, components, tools and equipment to create designed solutions.

Girls in focus

Providing students with choice in their area of exploration enables them to pursue personal interests - they may have grown up in a different environment and be quite familiar with architectural styles and design advantages of houses in their area. Providing choice and enabling student voice supports students to feel included and valued.

Girls in focus

Historically women have been under-represented in architecture careers and are now over-represented at junior levels within architecture. Girls may have had limited exposure to women in architecture and may not realise the variety of roles and creativity involved in this career. Students could listen to this podcast in which two women from Light House + Science architecture are interviewed about their development of sustainable architecture. More resources relating to women in architecture are provided in the Resources section below.

Listen to the podcast

Learning construction

Explain to students that their challenge is to design a tiny home for a location of their choice. The house will only include small internal living spaces: one bedroom, a multi-purpose living space and a bathroom. Students can add levels and outdoor spaces, but they should endeavour to keep the overall footprint of the house small.

1. Ask students to identify a location for their house. It doesn't have to be local but should ideally be a location students have experienced.

2. Students can explore real estate apps to locate a block of land near that location. This will be the starting point for their project.

3. Students then need to research the location. What daily temperatures does the location experience across the year, what does rainfall look like and how frequent are extreme events? How heavily treed is the site and what is the substrate of the site likely to be? What future climate change impacts may occur?

Explain to students that in designing their house, they will need to fill a gap in the Your Home website - currently the website doesn't include a house design smaller than two bedrooms. The climate-resilient tiny house they design should be based on a design from the Your Home website that suits their general location, which they will then adapt the design to a tiny house footprint, taking into account the climate of their site.

Students should use the Your Home website to ensure they have considered design features, materials and technologies that confirm their house is both sustainable and climate resilient.

4. Students determine where on the block their house will be situated, considering orientation of the house on the block.

5. Students create annotated floor plans and sketches of their house, detailing the materials, technologies and design features they would include. They can use a digital tool or pen and paper for this task.

6. Students can present their work or create a voice over answering the following three key questions:

What are the local climate variables that could affect the building?

Will predicted climate change impacts affect the site and the building?

What are the likely consequences to the home in the event of extreme weather?

Girls in focus

Providing opportunities to engage creatively with socio-scientific issues has been shown to engage girls. Providing students with a choice of location enables them to engage with places that hold personal meaning for them.

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Climate-resilient homes lesson | The GiST

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In this lesson, students explore how architects consider sustainability factors when designing innovative climate-resilient homes. Students then design their own climate-resilient home for a location of their choice. Curriculum alignment Design and Technologies AC9TDE10K01 - analyse how people in design and technologies occupations consider ethical, security and sustainability factors to innovate and improve products, services and environments.

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Another fantastic starting point with specific elements related to engineering principles

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YEARS: 5-6, 7-8, 9-10

Evan, a mechanical mentor for FIRST Robotic Competition's 3132 'Thunder Down Under', outlines the processes involved in designing, building and testing a robot in six weeks.

What influences the team in their design and building processes?

Can you think of anything else that might influence the design and build of the robot other than what Evan has listed?

Acknowledgements

With thanks to the FIRST Robotic Competition's 3132 'Thunder Down Under'.
Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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How to design and build a robot in six weeks! - ABC Education

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Evan, a mechanical mentor for FIRST Robotic Competition's 3132 'Thunder Down Under', outlines the processes involved in designing, building and testing a robot in six weeks.

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An example program from NSW

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A good quality resource regarding thermal comfort and its connection to sustainability.

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Each day we keep warm, stay cool or manage our indoor air quality through our behaviour, management of our buildings and use of specialised technologies.

Actions that manage thermal comfort and indoor air quality use varying amounts of energy. Changes in behaviour and modifications to the school environment can manage our thermal comfort and indoor air quality and reduce our environmental footprint.

Work through the steps in the sustainability action process to take actions to promote sustainable strategies for indoor air quality and thermal comfort.

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Each day we keep warm, stay cool or manage our indoor air quality through our behaviour, management of our buildings and use of specialised technologies. Actions that manage thermal comfort and indoor air quality use varying amounts of energy. Changes in behaviour and modifications to the school

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Behaviour Management Resource

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Teachers often have a hard time disciplining students. This is because they may not know the best way to respond when a student misbehaves. The Dreikurs Logical Consequences Model can be used as an alternative to traditional discipline methods and has been found to be effective with all types of learners, from preschoolers up through high school students. Read on for more information about this model and how it works!

History Of Logical Consequences

Dr. Rudolf Dreikurs first published his method of logical consequences in 1964. Prior to the publication of Dr. Dreikur's work, there were "consequences" that mainly involved punishments or rewards based on student behavior.

The Dreikurs Logical Consequences model is based on the belief that students will change their own behaviors when they experience reasonable, related, and respectful consequences for their actions. This method of discipline is meant to set limits and teach children how to behave appropriately. It is important to note that the consequences given out as a result of logical consequences are not meant to be punishments, but rather logical outcomes for certain behaviors.

The Four Basic Principles Of Human Nature:

Dreikurs believed that without understanding the needs, desires, and purposes for behaviors children (and adults) would continue to misbehave. Understanding these needs is one of the four principles in his contribution to psychology and education. These needs are shown below:

Everyone.....

1. ....wants to get along with others,

2. .....wants to be accepted and appreciated,

3. .....wants to feel important and capable within life, and
The Logical Consequences Model is based on the following assumptions:
4. .....wants power (i.e., control) over his own life.

1. The desired or undesirable effect should follow immediately after the behavior so that the student can see how their choices have consequences.

2. There must be a reason/logic for the consequence.

3. The consequence must be stated as a "fact" as opposed to an order, threat, or lecture. This is important so that students will accept it and take responsibility without feeling controlled by the teacher who has authority in school and at home.

4. The logical consequence should help the student learn to make better choices and solve problems.

5. Consequences must be related to the actions that warrant them.

6. The consequences of students' actions must be respectful to the students.

In Dreikur's model, teachers should:

1. Identify the misbehavior and its undesirable effect (always). For example: "Jumping on the bed makes the bed break."

2. State a logical consequence for misbehavior (it should be explained why their behavior is the cause of the consequence). For example: "You get hurt when you jump on a bed that can't hold your weight."

3. Help them avoid situations where misbehavior may occur again. For example: "If you want to jump on a bed, then find a new one that can hold your weight."

4. Let them experience the natural, logical result of their action. For example: "You are free to jump on a bed within reason."

5. Teach students new behaviors that will be more effective in getting their needs met. For example: "If you want to jump on the bed, then do it safely and ask for help if you need it."

6. Use positive reinforcement for making good choices.

This model is commonly used in early childhood settings, preschools, child care centers, and private homes.

Today Dreikurs' work has evolved into the more psychologically based perspective of behavior analysis, but it remains an effective way to teach students new behaviors that will be effective in the future without punishing them.

Is Dreikurs' Logical Consequences Model Effective for Behavior Management?

The logical consequences model is a psychological approach to behavior management that focuses on making the story of behaviors relevant and meaningful to students. This technique allows teachers to address problem behaviors while avoiding power struggles with students. It also helps empower children by increasing their responsibility for their actions and decisions.

This method allows for a more supportive, caring environment in the classroom where students feel accepted and respected, as opposed to a punitive environment that alienates students.

The following list highlights the ways that the logical consequences model can be effective for classroom management:

1. Empowering students with choice gives them a sense of control over their learning.

2. Children have a better rapport with adults who use positive communication techniques.

3. Students who struggle with self-regulation feel more secure and safe in a non-punitive environment.

4. The process of identifying the misbehavior, brainstorming logical consequences, and reinforcing behavior allow students to learn from their mistakes.

5. Logical consequences model works well for behavioral issues related to student emotions.

6. Students develop a sense of accountability for their actions if they are responsible for determining the consequences.

7. The opportunity to make choices teaches students about cause and effect, as well as alternative behaviors they can use instead of making poor choices.

8. Identifying behavioral expectations helps children know what is and is not acceptable.

9. Once expectations and rules are established, students will learn to respect the rules and the consequences of breaking them.

10. Logical consequences model allows teachers to make punishments meaningful for children instead of merely punitive.

11. It respects the child's dignity and social rights.

12. Helps avoid conflicts in school and more serious issues such as suspensions.

13. It helps create a safe environment in the classroom which nurtures a positive relationship between students and teachers. These benefits ultimately create an environment that is structured, efficient, safe, and facilitates learning in a positive manner.

14. It combines education and behavior management so that students can learn how to behave and improve their social skills. For example, the children will be happier if they get along with each other and stop bullying or fighting.

How To Use Logical Consequences in the classroom?

A logical consequence is an action that naturally and automatically results from a behavior. It's important to what you should not do as a teacher when implementing the logical consequences in the classroom. You should avoid punishing students, calling out their names, or making a big deal about it.

Logical consequences are a type of negative reinforcement that creates an environment where students feel safe to take responsibility for their actions.

Here are 20 guidelines for using logical consequences in your classroom:

By following these guidelines, you can ensure that everyone will have a safe environment to learn in.

1. Show some empathy when enforcing consequences.

2. Keep consequences short. If they are too harsh, extend the time.

3. Consistency is key. Everyone needs to learn the same behavior for it to be effective.

4. Avoid using natural consequences in a classroom setting whenever possible.

5. Make sure you have covered all of your bases before implementing logical consequences.

6. Remain calm and avoid raising your voice while enforcing consequences. These punishments should be short and reasonable. They shouldn't affect the student's success in the long term.

7. Ensure that all students are doing the same work to get logical consequences.

8. Give yourself some time before implementing a logical consequence to make sure you've read the situation correctly.

9. Teach students positive behaviors as well. Teach them how to correct their own mistakes so they can fix the consequences that follow certain actions. This is called extrinsic motivation and it works very well with logical consequences.

10. Allow your students time to think about what they've done by implementing a consequence immediately. Don't wait for the next day to give them the same consequence.

11. When working with students that you feel are struggling with their emotions, try using redirection.

12. Avoid arguing when giving consequences. Stay firm and explain why certain actions will result in specific penalties.

13. Think about what your students need to learn in order to prevent similar behavior in the future. This is intrinsic motivation.

14. When you have a student that talks back or argues, simply give them a consequence and then move on to the lesson (gives specific behaviors and actions after each one).

15. Make sure students understand why their actions resulted in consequences. Be clear and concise with your explanations.

16. Give yourself a minute to think before giving a logical consequence. Make sure you have everything planned out.

17. Remain calm while giving consequences. Avoid raising your voice or arguing with them.

18. Ensure that all students are following the same rules with logical consequences.

19. Make sure you allow for student reflection after their negative behaviors.

20. If your goal is to teach responsibility, don't use punishments; they can teach students to be manipulative.
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If you follow these guidelines when using logical consequences in the classroom, students should learn responsibility for their own actions and also take responsibility for the actions of their peers. Remember to always be kind and understanding while using logical consequences in your classroom as a teacher.

Final Thoughts

If you find yourself struggling to keep a classroom under control, it may be time for logical consequences. Logical consequences are punishments that make sense given the situation and fit within your set of rules as a teacher. For example, if one student talks back or argues with another in class, they might have to do an extra assignment at home as a consequence. You can also use logical consequences by having students clean up after themselves when something spills on the floor instead of giving them detention-a punishment only some teachers would enforce anyway! Knowing what types of behaviors will result in which type of penalty is key for any educator who wants to avoid behavioral problems among his/her students.

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Dreikurs's Logical Consequences Model: Why Is It Important? - Classroom Management Expert

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Teachers often have a hard time disciplining students. This is because they may not know the best way to respond when a student misbehaves. The Dreikurs Logical Consequences Model can be used as an alternative to traditional discipline methods and has been found to be effective with all types of learners, from preschoolers up through...

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In schools today, the focus is not only on helping students pass exams, but also on improving their character by making them more resilient. Resilience in learning, as in life, is about being able to persevere through setbacks, take on challenges and risk making mistakes to reach a goal.

Studies show that resilience has a positive influence on academic performance of undergraduates, as well as their social and emotional wellbeing.

It's not always clear, however, how to develop more resilient students. I believe there are three main areas to focus on: a child's competence, their tolerance to mistakes, and their ability to set goals. These components help young people to sustain effort even when a challenge seems too great.

Competence builds resilience

It is not uncommon for students to come to your class with past experiences that have left them feeling like they can't move forward when a task is overwhelming. You can help them overcome that mindset by building their confidence through experiences that develop their competence.
One activity involves showing students that some things, which seem impossible or too confusing at first, can be broken down into easy-to-understand parts. Give groups of students broken (not repairable) clocks, watches, or safe (ie not sharp and unplugged) appliances or mechanical toys (eg a jack-in-the-box). When each group has an item,first ask them to discuss how it might work. With objects of age-appropriate complexity, it is unlikely they will be confident in their initial ideas. Then invite them to take their object apart, without any requirement other than they must discover how it works. The object is to build their resilience to feeling overwhelmed by letting them discover, on their own, how complex things can be broken into parts.
The following questions and instructions might be useful (and you can modify them for your students' age, ability and task): 1 Look at your object and discuss how it might work.
2 Now take it apart and look at what makes it work. Write down what you recognise, such assprings, screws, coils, gears, batteries or wiring.
3 When finished, write down any ideas about how the parts might work together.

When they've completed the task explain that children have just experienced their ability to break something down into more understandable parts.

The experience will build their competence awareness. Dividing big assignments or jobs into small tasks will give them the confidence to get started and the resilience to persevere. Invite groups to put their new awareness into mottos or posters for the classroom, for example: "By achieving one task after another, you'll get the whole job done."

Learning from failure

When you incorporate opportunities for students to experience mistakes as an expected part of learning, you build their resilience to setbacks. Through class discussions, your own mistakes, and building pupils' knowledge of their brain's programming, your students will gain the competence, optimism and understanding to persevere - and even make progress - through failure.
When students make mistakes, explain that these are not failures: they are opportunities for the brain to build a bridge that will bring them success in future. They need to understand that their brains have evolved to be survival tools: the brains of mammals in the wild adapted to make rapid decisions and choices in response to change or threat. Our human brains still have that primitive quick-response reaction to new situations - even to questions in a test. But because we are not out in the wild or in danger, instead of jumping to conclusions, we can take few seconds to be sure our brain's first choice is the best.

More importantly, when you correct an error, your brain builds new wiring to guide you to make a better choice next time. So doing something wrong can actually be beneficial in the long-term, replacing misinformation with firm experience. The strongest understandings we have do not come from what we've memorised but rather from what we've learned from failure.
Other ways to help students see mistakes in a new light include:
* Discussing common errors made by previous students.
* Pointing out your own mistakes and acknowledging how you felt at the time.
* Inviting your class to share their past mistakes and recognising they lived through them and can see them with the perspective of time and even humour now.

Personal meaning builds persistence

Students will engage more if they have to use the facts or procedures as tools for participating in personally relevant tasks.

One way to ensure this is by including appealing activities throughout the study unit. For example, invite students to select a recipe from a cookbook that uses standard and not metric measurements. They will want to know how to convert metric and standard measurements to make what they have chosen. The personally desirable goal of making delicious cookies or play dough will motivate them to do their sums.

Elsewhere, if units are particularly challenging, use examples or comparisons of historical conflicts to present day issues that are of interest to your students. Adapt word problems in maths so that they include the names of students, sports heroes, or other people of high interest to your students.

A final thought

By building students' resilience in this way you can help them realise that when they engage confidently with a challenge, anything is possible and failure is not something to fear. This is vitally important. After all, it's not what students know, but what they can do with what they know, that is the goal of education.
Dr Judy Willis MD is a neurologist and trainer of educators worldwide, formerly a teacher for 10 years. She writes at her blog Radteach.com.

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The science of resilience: how to teach students to persevere

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In schools today, the focus is not only on helping students pass exams, but also on improving their character by making them more resilient. Resilience in learning, as in life, is about being able to persevere through setbacks, take on challenges and risk making mistakes to reach a goal.

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If we want to empower students, we must show them how they can control their own cognitive and emotional health and their own learning. Teaching students how the brain operates is a huge step. Even young students can learn strategies for priming their brains to learn more efficiently; I know, because I've taught both 5th graders and 7th graders about how their brains learn.

I was a practicing neurologist before I became a teacher. Once I entered the classroom and observed how my students learned, the connections between my two professions became clear. I began to write about brain-based teaching strategies. It took a few years, though, before I realized that my students could also understand how their brains learn.

When I began incorporating basic instruction about the brain into my classes and teaching simple activities to improve brain processing, students not only became more engaged and confident, but they also began changing their study practices in ways that paid off in higher achievement. Consider these typical comments from my 7th graders:

"I imagine neurons making connections in my brain when I study. I feel like I'm changing my brain when I learn something, understand it, and review it."

"If I use my prefrontal cortex to mentally manipulate what I learn, my dendrites and synapses grow, and I will own that learning for a long, long time. I won't have to learn fractions all over again each year."

Explaining how the brain works is especially important for students who believe that they are "not smart" and that nothing they do can change that. Many children, and even some parents and teachers, think that intelligence is determined at birth and that even intense effort will not budge their academic abilities. The realization that they can literally change their brains by improving how they approach learning and how they study is liberating.

Brain Filters: Let The Right Stuff In
I have taught both upper elementary and middle school students about filters in the brain that determine what information reaches their prefrontal cortex, which I call their thinking brains. We discuss three key elements of this filtering system: the reticular activating system, the limbic system, and dopamine. Students realize that their physical health, their emotions, and how well they focus their attention affects whether new information even reaches their thinking brains or gets filtered out because of negative emotions.

I guide students in activities that help them focus and achieve positive moods to prime themselves for learning. We practice techniques to increase mindfulness. For example, students learn to do visualizations, deliberately recalling in detail a place where they felt happy, calm, and safe. The more learners practice visualizing their particular calming place, the stronger the neural network holding that memory becomes; eventually, the students can easily return to that memory whenever they feel stressed. Returning to that safe place enables learners to let new information that someone is presenting flow into their thinking brain rather than being filtered out.

Students discover that when I guide them to visualize historic events, to picture vocabulary words with images that depict their meaning, or to see math procedures acted out in their mind's eye with "dancing numbers," they can better recall history, vocabulary, or math lessons.

I have students do relaxation breathing before we begin a test or challenging lesson. Students report that they feel calmer, more alert, and more focused-and they do understand and remember more.

To help students realize that brains and intelligence can change, I discuss neuroplasticity -the fact that the brain can grow new connections between neurons as we learn something by having new experiences. We can then strengthen these connections by remembering, practicing, visualizing, or using the new information. I show them brain scans, and we make diagrams and clay models of connections forming between neurons through cellular projections called dendrites. More dendrites grow when a person learns something new and then gets adequate sleep, I explain.

I send home photos of growing dendrites taken through an electron microscope and assign students to explain to family members the neuroanatomy behind these photos. (See the Neuroscience for Kids Web site for sample photographs).

Students' Most Powerful Tool
The more students practice, the sharper their brain-already their most powerful tool-becomes.

Students know that the more they practice a basketball shot or rehearse a ballet performance, the more their skills improve. In my class, they learn that brains respond the same way. When a learner goes over multiplication facts or rereads confusing parts of a book, the brain gets better at processing this information because, with such repetition, more neurons grow and connect to other neurons, and neurons get more efficient at sending one another signals.

I talk directly with students about why strategies like taking scheduled short breaks or connecting learning to something pleasurable enhance brain function because of the role of dopamine and the emotion-monitoring amygdala. Students hypothesize about what strategies (such as taking too-frequent snack breaks and interrupting their focus with texting versus creating a homework schedule or turning off the television) will help-or hinder-their learning.

They experiment with studying under different conditions (with and without music, working in bed or at a desk, and so on), collect their own data about what works best, and compare data. Students also chart the relationship between their level of effort and the achievement of their goals.

When my students started telling other teachers about how they had learned to "make my brain work the way I want it to," colleagues began asking me for my brain lessons. I have shared with fellow teachers a brief overview of what I think students should know about their brains. In the interest of helping more teachers gain and share this information, I present that overview here as a downloadable pdf document. I invite readers to use this document (" What You Should Know About Your Brain ") with students as they wish.

During the first four weeks of school, I present about three 15-minute sessions focused on this material each week. Each time, I explain a section of the material in my own words and demonstrate on models, with sketches, or with actual images of brain structures. Questions prompt discussion that deepens students' understanding of brain function. For example, asking, "Why don't neurons (nerve cells in the brain) replace themselves like skin and blood cells do?" reinforces the fact that neurons store memories; if brains continually replaced neurons, learned information would be lost.

As we learn about brain function, students write about how this new information influences their attitude toward school, their study habits, and their ability to change their own intelligence. Throughout the year, I incorporate reminders about brain function into my instructional strategies.

For example, I explain how growing more dendrites connects new information that a person learns into neural networks, solidifying the knowledge. Rehearsing newly learned material stimulates dendrites. After we discuss a new concept, I have students write summaries of the new information in their own words in their learning journals; we call these summaries dend-writes.
Students Take Charge
I have seen direct discussions of brain functioning yield wonderful results in terms of students taking charge of their own learning. One 10-year-old student told me, "Now I know about growing dendrites when I study and get a good night's sleep. Now when I'm deciding whether to watch TV or review my notes, I tell myself that I have the power to grow brain cells if I review. I'd still rather watch TV, but I do the review because I want my brain to grow smarter. It's already working and feels really good."

Having seen how interested my students are in learning about their brains and how they respond to that learning with increased motivation and better study habits, I've come to believe that instruction about how the brain processes information should be included in the curriculum. Whether as part of health classor class, or in a separate course, students should receive direct instruction in how best to use their most powerful tool.

Teaching students the mechanism behind how the brain operates and teaching them approaches they can use to work that mechanism more effectively helps students believe they can create a more intelligent, creative, and powerful brain. It also shows them that striving for emotional awareness and physical health is part of keeping an optimally functioning brain.

Thus, instruction in brain function will lead to healthier learners as well as wiser ones.

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The Simple Things I Do To Promote Brain-Based Learning In My Classroom

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You don't have to be a neuroscientist to promote brain-based learning in your classroom. In fact, it's really quite simple.

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This project creates opportunities for students to design, create, market and sell a plastic wrap alternative, and to work with a local business or community group that supplies some materials. This lesson was devised by Trudy Ward, Clarendon Vale Primary School, Tasmania.

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Each day we use resources and materials and create waste. Some of these resources are limited or are renewed slowly. Our Earth has a limited capacity to absorb waste.

Many resources in our waste streams can be reused and manufactured into new products. We can all use resources more efficiently and dispose of them more sustainably through different behaviours and systems.

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Each day we use resources and materials and create waste. Some of these resources are limited or are renewed slowly. Our Earth has a limited capacity to absorb waste. Many resources in our waste streams can be reused and manufactured into new products.

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Introduction

Hot air balloon education resources, including:

Facts for students - information about hot air balloons (the parts of the balloon and how they fly).

Lessons & activity sheets - a selection of curriculum-linked ideas to explore hot air balloons and flight in your classroom.

Extra resources - illustrations and/or photos of hot air balloons.

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FTfs contains free curriculum-appropriate primary and middle-years education resources that can be easily adapted to individual student learning requirements (https://www.forteachersforstudents.com.au)

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Post by Kristina Ohl
Originally Posted: June 1, 2022
Updated: March 2024

In the Eco-House Extravaganza STEM project, students work in teams to complete the ultimate project-based learning STEM experience: planning and designing an energy-efficient, eco-friendly house! Read below for how to implement a project that incorporates environmental and earth science, STEM careers, sustainability, and teamwork. This lesson was developed by a middle school science teacher and Harvard graduate student, Kristina Ohl, who shares her experience developing and testing out this lesson so you can bring it to your classroom!

Development of the Eco-House STEM Project

I am a 6th grade science teacher and, last fall, I decided to return to school to receive my M.Ed at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. While taking a class on constructionist learning, I decided to "re-create" one of my favorite class activities- the Mission to Mars STEM challenge by Vivify STEM! During the Mission to Mars project, students worked together to plan out and design colonies on Mars. This project was very successful with my students, and they told me how surprised they were with how much they learned about living in space. Most importantly, the project allowed students to tackle real-life, relevant challenges.

I hoped to help students see STEM as more applicable to their lives by exploring a relevant topic in engineering and climate change: designing sustainable, eco-friendly homes. The project-based curriculum that I adapted is intended to help students take on the role of sustainable building engineers as they go through the engineering design process.

Eco-House Project Overview

Designing by creating leads to deeper, more meaningful learning experiences. This project facilitates students' construction of their own conceptual understandings by empowering them as apprentices in a field.

The Eco-House Extravaganza project is an opportunity to help students make personal connections to what they are learning by making it authentic to the work of actual engineers and building designers. While planning this project, I consulted with a sustainable building engineer who is a former researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. This allowed me to verify that all of the technology and sustainable building solutions are accurate and reflect real-world practices.

The week-long project walks students through planning and designing an energy-efficient, eco-friendly house in the U.S. city of their choice. A 5-E lesson plan is included to help teachers follow an inquiry-based approach. Students start by discussing the definition for the term "sustainable" and read about Earthship houses and Leed-certified buildings. Students also learn about the engineering design process and begin working in teams to identify the problem, brainstorm solutions, design, receive feedback, and redesign. The project culminates in students building prototypes and sharing solutions with their classmates.

Eco-House Planning Game

The highlight of the Eco-House STEM project is the planning game. This game helps students brainstorm engineering solutions to make their eco-houses as sustainable as possible. Students use game cards with information about various technologies as they consider the affordances and constraints of each engineering design choice. They must select options for insulation and heating, such as sheep's wool insulation and passive solar heating, sources of power such as solar and wind, and even options for water recycling, including aquaponics and home sewage treatments. Students also must work within constraints such as working within a budget of $65,000 and a limited power supply.

Why Project-Based Learning (PBL)?

Today, teachers are pressured by a strong push for standardized assessment- which leads to surface-level learning for students focusing on rote memorization in siloed subjects. The result is that students are robbed of the opportunity to learn how to recognize underlying mechanisms and practices that connect to all disciplines and to learn from the iterative processes of creation and reflection. The Eco-House project is interdisciplinary, addressing topics in building science, financial budgeting and human impacts on the environment.

Additional Resources
Click here to access the Eco-House STEM Project lesson guide.
For more useful resources on sustainability and the environment, check out SubjectToClimate . This website connects teachers with free resources for teaching about climate change. It offers lesson plans and a resource database, as well as student-friendly news articles about climate change.

More resources:

The Mars Colony Design Challenge provided lasting memories for my students, and I am already witnessing the impact that the Eco-House STEM Project can have as well. Students in 5th and 4th grade were completely overjoyed to test out my planning game. They begged their teacher to let them complete the entire project! I am eager to share this project with many more teachers, and I am excited to see how I can continue to develop the project further.

Post by Kristina Ohl
Originally Posted: June 1, 2022
Updated: March 2024

In the Eco-House Extravaganza STEM project, students work in teams to complete the ultimate project-based learning STEM experience: planning and designing an energy-efficient, eco-friendly house! Read below for how to implement a project that incorporates environmental and earth science, STEM careers, sustainability, and teamwork. This lesson was developed by a middle school science teacher and Harvard graduate student, Kristina Ohl, who shares her experience developing and testing out this lesson so you can bring it to your classroom!

Development of the Eco-House STEM Project

I am a 6th grade science teacher and, last fall, I decided to return to school to receive my M.Ed at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. While taking a class on constructionist learning, I decided to "re-create" one of my favorite class activities- the Mission to Mars STEM challenge by Vivify STEM! During the Mission to Mars project, students worked together to plan out and design colonies on Mars. This project was very successful with my students, and they told me how surprised they were with how much they learned about living in space. Most importantly, the project allowed students to tackle real-life, relevant challenges.

I hoped to help students see STEM as more applicable to their lives by exploring a relevant topic in engineering and climate change: designing sustainable, eco-friendly homes. The project-based curriculum that I adapted is intended to help students take on the role of sustainable building engineers as they go through the engineering design process.

Eco-House Project Overview

Designing by creating leads to deeper, more meaningful learning experiences. This project facilitates students' construction of their own conceptual understandings by empowering them as apprentices in a field.

The Eco-House Extravaganza project is an opportunity to help students make personal connections to what they are learning by making it authentic to the work of actual engineers and building designers. While planning this project, I consulted with a sustainable building engineer who is a former researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. This allowed me to verify that all of the technology and sustainable building solutions are accurate and reflect real-world practices.

The week-long project walks students through planning and designing an energy-efficient, eco-friendly house in the U.S. city of their choice. A 5-E lesson plan is included to help teachers follow an inquiry-based approach. Students start by discussing the definition for the term "sustainable" and read about Earthship houses and Leed-certified buildings. Students also learn about the engineering design process and begin working in teams to identify the problem, brainstorm solutions, design, receive feedback, and redesign. The project culminates in students building prototypes and sharing solutions with their classmates.

Eco-House Planning Game

The highlight of the Eco-House STEM project is the planning game. This game helps students brainstorm engineering solutions to make their eco-houses as sustainable as possible. Students use game cards with information about various technologies as they consider the affordances and constraints of each engineering design choice. They must select options for insulation and heating, such as sheep's wool insulation and passive solar heating, sources of power such as solar and wind, and even options for water recycling, including aquaponics and home sewage treatments. Students also must work within constraints such as working within a budget of $65,000 and a limited power supply.

Why Project-Based Learning (PBL)?

Today, teachers are pressured by a strong push for standardized assessment- which leads to surface-level learning for students focusing on rote memorization in siloed subjects. The result is that students are robbed of the opportunity to learn how to recognize underlying mechanisms and practices that connect to all disciplines and to learn from the iterative processes of creation and reflection. The Eco-House project is interdisciplinary, addressing topics in building science, financial budgeting and human impacts on the environment.

Additional Resources
Click here to access the Eco-House STEM Project lesson guide.
For more useful resources on sustainability and the environment, check out SubjectToClimate . This website connects teachers with free resources for teaching about climate change. It offers lesson plans and a resource database, as well as student-friendly news articles about climate change.

More resources:

The Mars Colony Design Challenge provided lasting memories for my students, and I am already witnessing the impact that the Eco-House STEM Project can have as well. Students in 5th and 4th grade were completely overjoyed to test out my planning game. They begged their teacher to let them complete the entire project! I am eager to share this project with many more teachers, and I am excited to see how I can continue to develop the project further.

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Design a Sustainable Eco-House STEM Project - Vivify STEM

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In the Eco-House Extravaganza STEM project, students work in teams to complete the ultimate project-based learning STEM experience: planning and designing an energy-efficient, eco-friendly house! Read below for how to implement a project that incorporates environmental and earth science, STEM career