[neact] Fwd: field testing opportunity

X-Sieve: CMU Sieve 2.2
To: "Kenneth Brody W." <kwbrody@xxxxxxx>
From: Lois Kenick <loisly@xxxxxxx>
Subject: field testing opportunity
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2008 18:52:41 -0400
SAE International and the Education Development Center (EDC) are excited to announce that a new engineering design activity will be added to SAE's popular "A World in Motion" series. EDC is currently recruiting sixth grade science and technology education teachers to field test the new curriculum module in fall 2008.
The field test version of the curriculum is based on Spring 2008 pilot testing with teachers. Teachers who are selected to field test the new module will receive stipends for their time and feedback. Materials needed to teach the module will be supplied by EDC. We are particularly interested in recruiting teachers from rural schools.
More details about the new curriculum are below. If you think you might be interested in field testing the new curriculum, please contact Sarita Nair-Pillai at spillai@xxxxxxx 

Gravity Cruiser Curriculum Module

A World in Motion Curriculum from SAE International

Developed by Education Development Center, Inc.
Thank you for your interest in the new curriculum module from SAE International. This new module, The Gravity Cruiser, challenges sixth graders to build and optimize a gravity-powered toy car, immersing the students in the engineering design process. This module will become part of SAE International's popular A World In Motion®(AWIM) program. Please see the next page for a more detailed description of the Gravity Cruiser.
Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) has a team developing the curriculum and is currently recruiting sixth grade science and technology education teachers to field test the new curriculum module in September 2008. Field test teachers will be testing a draft of the curriculum that has been revised based on pilot testing with teachers in the Spring of 2008. Teachers who are selected to field test the new module will receive stipends for their time and feedback. Materials needed to teach the module will be supplied by EDC.
Classroom Time: We recommend allocating 16 class periods for field testing. The curriculum module can be completed in 12 one-hour long class periods, and there are several extension opportunities for classes with more time to devote to the project. The 12 hours of project work could be scheduled in a variety of ways-some classes might meet for 50 minutes daily, while others might meet once or twice a week in longer blocks of time. 
Field Testing (begins late September 2008)
Below are the requirements for participating in Gravity Cruiser field tests. Field test teachers must be able to : 

·      Participate in a pre-field-test conference call
· Teach the curriculum as written and, to the extent possible, within the stated amount of time allocated. If teachers are unable to do this, they must notify project staff in advance and in writing.
· Complete a pre and post survey and keep a log of their experience (a rubric or survey instrument may be provided for this)
· Ensure their students complete pre and post surveys and keep logs of their work 
·      Share both teacher logs and samples of student work with EDC

·      Make recommendations for the module's improvement

·      Participate in a post-field-test conference call
In addition, Field teachers will have phone/email access to a project staff member to assist with questions or issues that arise during the field test. Representatives from EDC and SAE will visit some field-test classrooms to observe. 

Description of New AWIM Module
The new Gravity Cruiser module is part of SAE's A World In Motion®(AWIM) program which introduces students to the engineering design process through hands-on, team building projects. To learn more about AWIM, visit www.awim.org.
A Gravity Cruiser is an intriguing toy car easily constructed from common materials. It is powered by a lever mounted on the car body. At one end of the lever is a weight; the other end is connected to one axle by string. As the weight rotates the lever, the string unwinds from the axle, propelling the gravity cruiser forward.
In this challenge, students work in teams to focus on understanding the relationship among the "sweep" of the lever arm, the number of winds that the string makes about the axle, and the distance the gravity cruiser travels. They will also investigate how the diameter of the wheels, the diameter of the axle, and the amount of weight placed on the lever affect the gravity cruiser's speed and distance. The interplay of these factors is not simple: it offers a rich challenge in critical thinking while at the same time providing an enjoyable "vehicle" for learning to use the experimental method to test hypotheses and solve a tricky engineering problem.
After learning how to control the performance of this toy through a series of controlled tests, student design teams create their own customized toys. The set of toys student teams design will constitute a fleet of toy vehicles that they present at the end of this challenge. 

As they work with the gravity cruiser, students will be asked to

*       understand its construction
*       observe its behavior
*       reflect on its behavior
*       develop hypotheses about how it works
*       formulate experiments to test the hypotheses
*       carry out the tests they come up with and/or the activities described
*       design a system for a given performance requirement
*       build, test, revise
*       present to the class and explain their choices
In completing these steps, students will have experienced design in an engineering context and gained some understanding of the design process and how the products they use have come to be.

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