By Paul Brocklehurst, Middle School Science Teacher and Department Chair
This article first appeared in the Winter 2016 Window Magazine.
Two years ago, I sat down with my teaching team to explore ways to teach our first engineering units in science class. Our intent at the meeting was to agree upon and design a unit that would reinforce soft skills like researching, critical thinking, and creative problem solving; as well as hard skills like designing and building. We also wanted the unit to be comprised of a project that appropriately challenged every student, would enhance their engineering skills, and could be used in a broad variety of applications. From this series of conversations, we laid the groundwork of what would become the Engineering with Hydraulics Unit.
Hydraulics is a subject in engineering that focuses on the mechanics of fluids. Hydraulics primarily concerns itself with the transfer and control of force through the use of fluids. Hydraulic engineering has taken many forms, from waterwheels that powered the bellows of ancient Chinese blast furnaces to the control of modern day aircrafts. Hydraulics seemed to be something that grade 7 students had heard of without actually knowing what they were.
We start the unit with a very brief introduction to the parts of a simple hydraulic system and the scientific theory that explains its function. Students then transition to building their own hydraulic system, teaching them the basic skills of assembly, lubrication, and tool use as they construct hydraulically controlled joints. From there, students are given free range to explore their own creative potential. They must find their own unique problem for which they will brainstorm multiple solutions, and then evaluate a single "best" solution to plan, create, and improve.
In our two years of teaching hydraulics, students continue to exceed our expectations with their impressive and creative designs. Students choose topics from imitating the motion of animals to creating musical instruments controlled by hydraulics. Instruments included varied hydraulic chimes and maracas. Projects like these have been pushing middle school engineering boundaries in both breadth and depth. We think this will continue because, starting two years ago, engineering units have been taught at every grade level in lower and middle school. This means that each class comes into middle school with more and more experience in engineering. With stronger foundations, middle school students are achieving more with their hydraulics and other engineering projects each year.
One such example of this upward trend is the use of Computer Aided Design, or CAD. Initially, designs were made with paper and pencil before construction. Last year, several students began to use CAD for their projects. The difference in depth of thought in the sophisticated CAD designs and hand sketched designs was enormous. This year, all grade 7 students are expected to use CAD to design their project.
The hydraulics project reinforces the steps in the design process: ask, imagine, plan, create, and improve. The freedom to choose one's project provides students with the ownership needed to motivate them to solve the myriad of problems that arise during its development. Naturally, all students' initial designs fail at first. We try to reinforce the notion that no first generation technology is perfect. But it is the iterative thinking process inherent in the design process that allows them to overcome these obstacles in a way that extend beyond the scope of what I thought was possible. Students are creating more complex and creative projects each year, and I can't wait to see what they have in store for us next.