Tag: Phase II

Posted on

Communication ECA Phase II Class 2: Windmill 20170117

The topic of today is the windmill. The students built a windmill to learn the energy conversions between wild energy and rotational energy by means of blades. Windmills were used to mill grain, pump water in the history, but the majority of modern windmills take the form of wind turbines used to generate electricity, or wind pumps used to pump water. In the class, we used a weight as water to mimic the pumping water process. The STEM information behind this section is the energy transformation as well as force and motion concepts. All students finished the model and conducted tests with a different level, they enjoyed the class.

Posted on

Communication ECA Phase II Class 1: Letter Balance 20180110

Phase II is the middle-level class of Play2Learn Education Lego Challenge Program. In the next 8 weeks, the students will have good opportunities to learn and practice the basic mechanical mechanisms including lever, wheel and axle, pulley, wedge and screw.

The topic of today is the lever study using the letter balance model built during the class. The students first built a letter balance model, then they conducted the experiments to weigh various amount water to feel the level balance rule. The STEM information behind this section is the level balance rules. The level model composing of a four-bar mechanical mechanism that will be discussed more in the following classes. All the students finished the model building part and did the experiment with different level. They enjoyed this section. More principle modules will be delivered to the student can learn some basic mechanical rules in Phase II.

Posted on

PBP Phase 2: Class 1: Letter Balance

Today we built the Letter Balance after splitting into groups of two. All the students managed to finish quickly and even got their homework done in class. We learned about estimating weight and force due to gravity, while there was not enough time to explain torque the children seemed to enjoy themselves.

Next week’s model is the Windmill
The children were all we behaved and worked well with each other and I hope that they will continue to do so.

Posted on

Imagination

In the last class the kids took the opportunity to work on a project they liked, using their imagination and the concepts they have learned throughout the term. Most of the kids liked the more complicated mechanical projects they had worked on, and so they all used a battery and a motor with their legos. Everyone has been performing amazingly in all of the classes and I was really happy to make sure they received their certificates at the end of the night. We will take a break for a couple of months and start the next phase in January. That phase will be more complicated, but I’m sure our students will be quite capable of finishing them and enjoy the challenge too. 

Posted on

PBP Center 20171027 Fishing Rod Challenge

Today’s class went very successfully with all of the students completing the project. The students learned about pulley ratios as well as the block and tackle.
During the testing I proposed a challenge to the students that if they could lift a heavy block using their fishing hooks that they would get candy. The students enthusiastically took to figuring out unique solutions to this problem and came up with two solutions.
The younger students worked together to distribute the load over multiple hooks and lift it as a combined effort successfully lifting the load for a short period of time demonstrating excellent teamwork.
However Olivia impressed me the most. Using only pointers on where to improve and half a design she was able to complete a system that was able to lift the entire weight on it’s own.

As promised I will bring candy for the students next week.
As next week will be our final class it will be an free build class. This means that the students may build whatever they want.

Posted on

ECA Phase II 20171025 LDD Design

The LDD Design with a personal computer is usually a difficult class for the kids to understand, but I was really happy to see them performing well. Some of the kids had also practiced at home before coming to class which was great. The LDD software allows them to make computer models of their projects which they can easily manipulate and test. Next week is the last class of the term, and the kids will be instructed to use their imagination to build what they like. They can work individually or in teams again, and in the end they will receive their certificates for passing this phase.

Posted on

Communication ECA Phase II Class 6: The Tower Crane

The Crane was a fun project for the kids to play and experiment with. It was their most challenging task this term and although some of them finished early, some of the kids took a bit of time to finish. Overall, they enjoyed the process and reviewed concepts such as weight and force, while engineering a structure that could pull up a heavy object. Next week we will be learning how to design lego structures with the LDD software. Please remember to bring a laptop with the software installed to class, so the kids can finish the assignments in class.

Posted on

Communication ECA Phase II Class 2: Principal Models 20171011

The kids continued their work on the principal models from last week. Each of the models in their assignment thought them a new scientific concept which they learned through experimentation. Some of the kids used their creativity and tried new ways to build their projects, which was very fun for them. Next week we will move on to new models, either Power Machine or The Walker, which will be both exciting and educational for them.

Posted on

Communication ECA Phase II Class 4: Principal Model 20171004

In the last class we started working on the Principal Models. They are a collection of projects that help the children learn about introductory physics, and a great exercise for learning about the concepts of motion, force, friction, weight, potential energy, etc. Each task is divided into small parts, so they are easily grasped by the kids. To make the class more than a science course, and to make it engaging and enjoyable, the kids took their time to play with their legos and compare them with each other. Next week we will continue to work on the Principal Models.

Posted on

Communication ECA Phase II Class 3: The Ramp 20170920

The kids have been on a great learning curve lately with all of our previous projects, and yesterday we decided work on a little more challenging design. They took their time to work on The Ramp. Even though the work was more challenging than before, they still enjoyed the process and were able to finish their project. The Ramp allows them to learn about the concepts of weight, force and also to do measurements with different parts. It was a great opportunity for them to learn such physical concepts. Next week we will be working on the Trundle Wheel, which is a mechanical device that lets them measure the length of the surface.

Mr. Amir

Play2Learn Education