As we enter the final few weeks of this term, many of the classes are entering the prototyping phase of our design cycle within their STEAM units. This is the stage during which their designs are being tested, created, improved upon and evaluated. A growth mindset is essential, with students needing to be encouraged to persevere, push through failures, make their designs better and to receive feedback with a view to iterating.
Yr 5 are beginning to prototype their digital solutions with some of the students choosing the technology of Makey-Makey and scratch to solve the problem in their community.
Year 2 are starting to prototype their toys – which reflect a scientific knowledge of forces and then using this knowledge in the design of toys to engage our Prep students in the new playground.
Year 1 investigated food and fibre in the context of our own school ‘farm’, designing a product which will help their choice of animal to thrive in this environment.
One class has prototyped chicken coops with many features which will help our chickens to be happy and healthy and to produce healthy eggs for us to eat.
We are using our new Prototyping area of the Library for much of this work – an area which has trolleys of construction and craft materials with spaces flexible enough to allow for different ways of working.