Abstract
The educational literature emphasizes the key role of analytical thinking (AT) and applied mathematical skills (AMS) in solving engineering prob-lems and calls to nurture these skills in school STEM education. This study proposes and explores a strategy for fostering AT and AMS among middle school students and prospective teachers through practice in digital design and 3D printing. The study involved 32 seventh grade students and five prospective teachers of technology. Both groups learned a 10-hour work-shop, “Make a spinning-top.” The participants designed spinning-tops that can fit into a Kinder Surprise egg and analysed their geometric and mechani-cal properties. We collected data from students’ worksheets, their designed artefacts, and in-class discussions. The results indicated that the assignment prompted the participants to apply AT and AMS. School students designed complex models, inquired into their geometry, and verified their designs through 3D printing. The worksheets were found to be an effective tool to frame and guide students’ thinking in the design tasks and the creation and testing of mathematical models. For the prospective teachers, the workshop, accompanied by lectures on the methodology of experiential learning, ena-bled to implement mathematical solutions in designs and develop instruc-tional units on the subject.
Highlights
Affordable desktop 3D printers have become accessible in the last decade, and schools are beginning to adopt this technology with an increasingly positive impact [1, 2]
Following the learning-by-design approach, our study explores the integration of learning activities in digital design and 3D printing as a strategy to foster analytical thinking and applied mathematical skills among middle school students and prospective teachers
The mathematical models and explanations given by the prospective teachers were at a relatively basic level, and they mostly referred to the moment of inertia
Summary
Affordable desktop 3D printers have become accessible in the last decade, and schools are beginning to adopt this technology with an increasingly positive impact [1, 2]. Learning environments that incorporate 3D design and printing (3DP) foster students’ design thinking and problem-solving skills while creating artefacts. Training students to cope with this advanced digital technology prepares them for life in the current era of digital transformation [3]. One of the main approaches to integrating 3D printing in school education is the learning-by-design approach [4]. According to this approach, learning occurs when students are engaged in a design challenge. They gather iJEP ‒ Vol 11, No 3, 2021
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