Encouraging Expectations and Empowering Freedom through Global Competencies

Simple Circuit

My Electricity Unit is normally kicked off by reviewing components of a circuit, drawing circuits and constructing simple circuits. For the past two years, I have done an inquiry-based learning model using Arduino. (Arduino is a electrical circuit board with a processor that can execute and store code). Using Arduino, students learn how to construct a circuit and code the electronics to perform a function.  Here are some examples of my students' work:

First, we construct a circuit using a bread board, an LED, a resistor and a battery. It's amazing to see how students are motivated by each other's successes. They will quickly try to copy and figure out why their construction didn't work. And yes, many LED's are fried in the process.


The second construction is Blink, where students download Codebender from the Google Play Store. Codebender is the computer code generator that allows you to generate and modify code to fit specified parameters. Students are asked to get the LED to blink every second. They participate in teams and again,the success of other students creates a buzz in the room. Students will voice opinions and teams will collaborate to review where their problem lies.

The third construction is Sweep. Sweep is more complex. Students have to code a motor to swing 360 degrees. I provide the students with the basic code and construction. We then determine how to manipulate the code. Here is a video of their construction:



Once students have mastered these constructions, they are then asked to research and find their own Arduino project to build. Many of the projects are truly amazing. Sonic distance sensor, thermometer, LCD screen, digital scoreboards, Humidity sensor. Here is a video of a melody maker where students have used code to change the tones to create Happy Birthday:



In this example, students have built and coded an 8x8 LED Matrix with a scrolling text:





Critical Thinking and Problem Solving are major elements of this week-long project. Students had to learn the basics with guidance from pictures and slides. Many times their construction wouldn't work due to incorrect wiring or code that were missing spaces or specific elements. Being a single teacher in a class of thirty students is a challenge and students were encouraged to collaborate and communicate.

The real challenge with this type of project is how to evaluate and assess student success using current marking practices. In the past, I would have used a checklist with each pair of students. This year, with Global Competencies, I modified my evaluation process by creating a google form that would allow students to self-evaluate their progress. Here is a link to my copy.

Students then look at the Global Competencies and select which they think fit best with their project. They then have to provide examples from their project for each of the Global Competencies.  This year, I had a pair of students who worked hard at getting their LCD display to work. I worked one on one with them and still their project didn't work properly. The one student met me at lunch in tears thinking she had failed the project, so I looked at her Global Competency responses.  Here are her responses:

Solve real life problems: How does an LCD screen work?

Enhance a concept, idea or product: We needed to change the LCD display to show our phrase.

Takes risks in thinking and creating: We had to wire the circuit and take it apart many times to get it to work.

Learn from and contribute to the learning of others: My partner was absent and I had to teach him what I had learned in the days he wasn't here.

Listen to understand all points of view, gain knowledge about a variety of languages: My partner and I would have many different ideas on how to fix our project and at times it was hard to follow his plan. We learned about Codebender and how it uses code to instruct the electronics.

Manages various aspects of life: My partner wasn't there for two days and I had to work on my own.

Final Comment: Ours didn't work because we didn't read the second slide correctly so we restarted many times.

I then asked her, "What on this reflection sheet suggests failure?" In real life, projects that fail are often the reality.  With Global Competencies as a guide, it is evident that we can encourage our students to set higher expectations and empower them to discover the freedom to be innovative and optimistic, without the fear of failure.