ARTICLES
Georges River Grammar gets Hands-on for Science Week
By Jason Borg, Science Teacher
Georges River Grammar (GRG) greeted Science Week, or as
we called it, ‘STEM Week’, with open minds and open arms.
Students from K-11 and Primary and Secondary Staff engaged in
practical, hands-on, inquiry-based and interdisciplinary activities
throughout the week in an effort to formally introduce the idea of
STEM. The week’s activities were aimed at challenging students'
ability to be compassionate and collaborative creative thinkers
and problem solvers.
Year 3-4 GRG students constructing 3D printed prosthetic
hands for STEM Week.
Alongside the major project was a variety of open-ended
challenges that tested students’ problem solving abilities,
collaboration and creative thinking as well as building empathy
for those they were seeking to help. Challenges included, but
were not limited to; paper hand puzzles, constructing cardboard
and straw hands to sign in American Sign Language, constructing
PVC and straw hands to grasp objects such as straws and tennis
balls, hand puppetry and a series of one-handed partner stations
to undertake everyday activities, including wrapping a box, tying
a ribbon, origami, threading string, cutting toast, measuring,
drawing and cutting. Students were thoroughly engaged in
each activity and recorded their progress throughout the week’s
activities with an electronic photo journal and group reflections.
‘Hand 2 Hand’ STEM Week logo and theme curated by GRG
students.
Students were encouraged to exhibit these skills and work
as a community to contribute to a solution with a real-world
application inspired by the e-NABLE movement, initiated by
John Schull in 2013. This movement provides free 3D printable
open source prosthetics to those born missing fingers or who
have lost them throughout their lives (Read the full story at www.
enablingthefuture.org/about/).
The week was underpinned by the school wide ‘Hand 2 Hand’
initiative that saw K-11 students progressively construct
approximately twenty 3D printed prosthetic hands. The assembly
of the prosthetic hands began with K-6 sorting components
to create individual kits and assembling fingers and thumbs
before attaching them to the palms. Years 7-9 students worked
collaboratively to fit the comfort foam lining to the palms and wrist,
attach the wrist to the palm and begin stringing the fingers to the
Year 3-4 GRG students constructing 3D printed prosthetic
hands for STEM Week.
wrist before students in years 10-11 completed stringing, added
Velcro straps and undertook quality testing of the finished hands.
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SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 67 NO 3