“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

Our third unit of inquiry was a great accomplishment as the geckos appreciated the mechanism of simple machines.

To check their understanding on the same we concluded our inquiry with the summative assessment. Geckos were divided into four groups and the assessment was based on creating innovative models of compound machines based on a set of tasks provided to them.  In accordance to the guest lecture our geckos were familiar of the pairing of simple machines while creating compound machines. An example of the given task was to design a machine which can lift a load of 200g to a height of 50cm using ¼ of the effort and to design a compound machine which can throw a ball 2m away without using potential energy. Through this they learnt the terminologies such as load, effort, fulcrum and friction while by means of using them creatively in their models.

The criteria for the assessment was to keep a check on the resources used while making the models (most of which were best out of waste), their level of understanding, adhering to the tasks provided to them and individual involvement while doing the same.

Our motto behind giving them these tasks were to enhance their thinking skills and applying the same to their presentations. Such type of models provides an environment for interactive student engagement. Their enthusiasm while designing the machines shows that significant learning gains are achieved when students participate in interactive engagement activities.

 

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