A new learning experience at Independence Middle School (IMS) is giving students the opportunity to design, build, problem-solve and put their ideas into action.
This school year, Independence Middle School is bringing Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Gateway learning experiences to students in grades 6-8. Part of PLTW’s PreK-12 STEM curriculum framework, Gateway provides hands-on opportunities for students to explore STEM concepts through real-world problem-solving. IMS is currently offering Design & Modeling and Medical Detectives, giving students opportunities to develop critical-thinking, creativity and collaboration skills as they work through engaging, project-based challenges.
For one of the first projects in Design & Modeling, students were challenged to design a foot orthotic. They worked through the design process to develop their creations and then presented their finished products to classmates, explaining their ideas, design choices and the thinking behind their solutions. The project combined creativity with critical thinking while giving students experience communicating and presenting their work, skills they will continue developing throughout the course.
Helping make these experiences possible is the Independence Middle School PTO, which donated $6,845 toward curriculum materials, and also a new Bambu 3D printer, for Project Lead the Way.
The contribution was made possible through the support of PTO members and sponsors and reflects the organization’s goal of putting funds raised for IMS to work in ways that directly benefit students.
The partnership is providing students with the materials they need to move beyond simply learning about concepts and begin designing, building, testing and presenting their own ideas. The orthotics project is just one example. With the school year only beginning, IMS students have many more opportunities ahead to create, collaborate, solve problems and discover what they can accomplish through Project Lead the Way.