Making Our Own Traditions and Sparking Student Curiosity

 Today I am proud of my 22 students for taking a risk and choosing a new end of the year tradition for our 5^th grade class. Building bridges is traditionally the culminating STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, & Math) activity for our students. Many come into 5^th grade knowing and expecting they are going to build bridges at the end of the year. I have taught bridge concepts, delving into the different trusses and engineering vocabulary used when constructing a bridge. I would watch students work in small teams to create a bridge made out of Popsicle sticks and glue. Last year students learned using too much glue is a catalyst for failure of bridge construction. I began to feel deflated because there was no deep level learning that occurred. Rather it was an expected activity that made a memory.

In thinking about how to best meet the needs of my current students I knew deep in my heart bridge building would be fun for them, but there would be no spark ignited that causes students to want to learn more about something. My students get excited to create something BIG! They want to solve problems and persevere through challenges. I knew whatever we did the end of the year had to give them time to explore, tinker, collaborate, communicate, and think. The more I thought about it, the bridge building was just an example of students consuming information and creating something with teacher given guidelines. So I decided to come up with a way for students to create and design where they were in charge of their learning, and I facilitated.

It hit me like lightning. Our class could spend the end of the year working on Rube Goldberg machines. It was a giant AHA moment I should have had many years ago. Rube Goldberg was a cartoonist, like many students in my current class, who inspired a movement! The learning of physics concepts and engineering come alive in the construction of these machines. Using materials in our school science lab, students will start with a goal in mind and using backwards design figure out how to make it happen. We will talk about energy transfer, chain reactions, Newton’s Laws of motion, and simple machines.

I was excited about the possible shift in the end of the year tradition but wanted it to be the students’ choice. Today we spent some time talking about the bridge unit and tradition. I took a risk and explained to our class that I had an idea that would take us down a different path. Eyes got huge. I felt I truly understood them as learners and wanted to come up with an end of the year STEAM activity that would engage and empower them long after they left our classroom. I told them I wanted us to consider designing Rube Goldberg machines instead of bridges. This is something I would not be able to teach them how to design rather a problem they need to solve. Students would be the constructors of knowledge involved in active learning. Students who knew what this was immediately began jumping out of their seats while others questioned what on earth I was talking about.

So I showed them this

And after it was over I asked by a show of hands who wanted to make Rube Goldberg machines instead of bridges. Not only did every child’s hand go into the air some shot two hands and two feet into the air. Not one student raised his or her hand when I asked about making bridges. This is when I realized that it is okay to change tradition if it is going to ignite a student’s curiosity and passion for learning. Sometimes tradition does not meet the needs of the students sitting in front of you. Who knows what we will do next year? This year the power of student voice rules over tradition. They have spoken and chosen their STEAM activity, and I am sure it will be one they never forget.