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Project ExCEED �Cohort Day #2

January 23, 2023

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Successes Brainstorm

  • Identify one specific aspect of your first Engineering Design Task that you are especially proud of. Think about:
    • Why are you most proud of this?
    • What happened?
    • What did you put in place to facilitate this success?
    • What suggestions would you make to others based on this success?
  • Write silently for TWO MINUTES describing and reflecting on this success.

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Success Analysis Protocol

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  • A research team member will be the timer.
  • Each teacher will have a turn to be the presenter.
    • Describe your success in 2 minutes.
    • After you have presented, the group can ask you questions for 2 minutes.
    • Finally, you will listen for 1 minute (and take notes if you’d like!) as your group shares what they heard you say, provides further insight, and gives you specific positive feedback about your success.
  • When each presenter has gone through this protocol, groups will share out to the large group some highlights, themes, commonalities that you identified in your small group.

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Our takeaways from your reflections and interviews!!

  • Continued enthusiasm and overall success from everyone!
  • Increasing sense of comfort and confidence with the tasks and content, particularly leading into task #2
  • Continued high student engagement:
    • Students who had done the task last year built on their ideas, added more multi-step solutions
    • Increased student confidence led to increased teacher confidence
  • More comfort with letting students take the lead
  • Meaningful connections to community and authentic opportunities to engage and learn from community members

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Strange New Planet

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Discovery of a Strange New Planet

You are all part of NASA’s Research Team to gather information about a Strange New Exoplanet that has been discovered millions of miles away.

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This exoplanet is so far away it cannot be seen with the naked eye. Therefore, you each will have a critical role in determining what this strange new exoplanet looks like.

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Your first task will be to determine roles in the research team.

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Mission Control – decide on roles

Role

Description

Astronomer

Looks at planet from the full distance through filter (atmosphere). One minute to view, standing in place. Communicates findings to mission control.

Satellite

Looks at planet from the full distance without filter. One minute to view, standing in place. Communicates findings to mission control.

Flyby mission

Does a flyby around the planet with solar panels (arms) out, walking swiftly without stopping in front of table or slowing down. Must limit fuel consumption so you can get back to Earth. Communicates findings to mission control.

Orbiter

Orbit table one full time with solar panels (arms) out, view all sides of planet. Walk swiftly with stopping or slowing down to limit fuel consumption. Communicates findings to mission control.

Mission Control

Takes messages from teammates about the planet. Creates artists’ rendition of planet. Cannot look at planet.

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Procedure – about 10 – 12 minutes total

  • Each member of the research team will have one opportunity to explore the strange new planet and communicate findings back to mission control, who will create/add to/revise their rendition of the planet based on new information.
  • Order as follows:
    • Astronomers – 1 minute in place from across the room, filter
    • Satellites - 1 minute in place from across the room, not filter
    • Flyby – walk swiftly to front of table and back
    • Orbiter – walk swiftly 360 degrees around table and back
    • Mission control – up to 2 minutes to draw in between each information gathering – remember, no peeking at your planet!!

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Big reveal/Rover landing

  • Each team (mission control as well!) can take their drawings to the table to compare. This is your rover landing!
  • As you examine your planet up close, chat about:
    • Where do you want your rover to land on the planet based on its characteristics? Is this the safest or the most exciting place to land?
    • How important is communication between scientists and engineers during a research project?

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Thinking about team roles during an engineering task

  • How do team roles impact engagement, participation, accountability during a task?
  • What did you notice about the roles in this activity? Why do you think they might have been designed this way?
  • How can the use team roles (type, purpose, how they are decided, etc.):
    • Support classroom management?
    • Help reduce gendered roles?
    • Connect to community roles and careers?
    • Create authenticity?
  • How have you used group roles? What successes and struggles have you experienced?