Engineering Passive Speakers

Gus Nollmeyer, Eastern Washington University

Kathryn Baldwin, Eastern Washington University

Summary

Preservice teachers participate in an engineering investigation designed for upper elementary students. They explore physical science principles of sound, and then apply what they learn by designing a passive speaker that can amplify a cell phone while remaining esthetically pleasing.

Context

Audience

This project is used with college juniors and seniors in the elementary science methods class.

Skills and concepts that students must have mastered

This project is used part way through the class after students understand how to align content to the NGSS as well as have a fair understanding of how the 5E instructional model helps teachers plan for dynamic and authentic inquiry.

How the activity is situated in the course

This project serves to demonstrate to students how to plan a STEM project-based unit (PjBU) that brings science and engineering together. After completing the work, students begin designing their own PjBU.

Goals

Content/concepts goals for this activity

Preservice teachers learn how engineering can be the center of a PjBU. They learn the role of inquiry within a PjBU as well as how the 5Es serve to facilitate the inquiry investigation. They learn how engineering is really only successful when students have time to investigate relevant science content first.

Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity

Preservice teachers apply a number of the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) and have opportunity to discuss the SEPs in context.

Other skills goals for this activity

Preservice teachers learn how important curiosity and questioning are in the process. They learn to embrace failure and disappointment that accompanies the iterative process of engineering.

Description and Teaching Materials

Please see the attached file, Passive Speaker 5E Investigation.
Passive Speaker 5E Investigation (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 40kB Sep10 20) 
Sound Station Directions (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 17kB Sep10 20) 
Passive Speaker Challenge (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 25kB Sep10 20) 
Passive Speaker Materials (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 18kB Sep10 20) 
Passive Speaker Images (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 1.1MB Sep10 20)

Teaching Notes and Tips

Please see the attached file, Passive Speaker 5E Investigation.

Assessment

Please see the attached file, Passive Speaker 5E Investigation.

References and Resources

Please see the attached file, Passive Speaker 5E Investigation.