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Once you’ve selected a fischertechnik set which focuses on a topic area you want to address, the first step to incorporating the set into your classroom activities is to review all the material included with your kit.

Typically, each of the Science and Technology themed “Profi” sets, as well as the Robotics sets, contains two booklets. The first is always the full color, diagram rich, construction booklet, which provides the graphic instructions and guidelines for building the specific models addressed by each set. The second booklet, which comes in printed form with each of the Profi kits, but which is sometimes included as a PDF with the newer robotic sets, is the multi-language** teaching and activity guide. This is the material that will give the background on the subject being addressed, and will walk students through the progression of models being built.

For example, in the activity booklet for the portion of the fischertechnik Mechanic + Statics set addressing gears, students will work through a progression of different types of gear models—starting with wormed gear pairings, toothed gearing, and crank gears, followed by toothed gearing with chains, and then eventually moving on to build a compound gear unit, planetary gear, bevel gear unit, and a differential gear. Through this progression of models, students learn the purpose of each type of gear, how they actually work, and the specific places where each type of gear would be used. As in most of the booklets, not only will the principles behind each model be discussed, but usually students will also be provided with various tasks to address and questions to answer. Teachers may use these materials “as is”, and are encouraged to copy these pages and share them with their students as each activity is addressed, or they may instead use them as a guide when creating their own,  personalized lesson plans.

It should be noted that these booklets and materials are not intended to take the place of complete classroom curriculum, but rather are to act as an enhancement to what you are covering with other more traditional methods, such as text books and lectures. In this way, instead of being forced into a rigid, pre-packaged lesson plan, teachers are allowed the freedom to create a structure which best serves their individual teaching goals.

As mentioned previously, each set comes with instructions for building a specific group of models. We suggest  that teachers have their students work through the progression of models and exercises provided with each set, so that they can not only learn about the principles involved, but also how the actual fischertechnik parts fit together, and how specific structures and components are created. It should be mentioned at this time that we find the best way to have students work with fischertechnik is in small teams—anywhere from two to four students, depending upon the complexity of the models being addressed. This will not only help to make the best use of valuable classroom time, but also help to foster teamwork.

Once the progression of models have been built and discussed, we suggest that teachers give students a task that is not specifically addressed by the instructional material, but which will require them to use the information they have learned about the given subject matter, as well as the methods for working with the fischertechnik system, combined with a fair helping of creative thought, planning and problem solving. A prime example of this is the when students in the ‘Project Lead the Way’ (aka ‘PLTW’) program are given the task of building an automated marble sorting machine using fischertechnik parts.  Students will be given a set of criteria by which the machine will be judged, which may include the speed of the sorting of the marbles, the types of colors or materials that are expected to be sorted (for example, glass, plastic or metal), other building materials allowed, size of the finished machine, etc. Previous to this, students will have performed various small activities which will help to familiarize them with the fischertechnik building system and how the various subsystems required in the larger model are made, as well as various engineering related principles.  They must use this hands-on experience, along with the principles they have learned in the past activities, to find their own creative, efficient and unique answers to this design problem. In the case of this particular exercise, students must document the various parts of the design process, from diagramming the model to be built, deciding upon the specific materials to be used, building the actual model, and then going through a series of trial and error tests and modifications until they have either designed a machine that meets the given criteria, or are forced to start over. Students will also compare and contrast the various models created by the different teams in their classroom, to see which have answered the various design questions in the most efficient and creative manner.

While the above example relates to an engineering classroom, a similar challenge could be posed to students using any of the other fischertechnik sets. Students working with, for example, the da Vinci Machines set might be asked how an improvement could be made to his original design of the file cutting machine which might improve the safety of use, or students using the Oeco Tech and Hydro Cell kits may be asked to modify one of the solar powered vehicle models so that it may more effectively use the energy created. Such tasks require the students to incorporate the principles they have learned to find hands-on solutions to real problems, and as such help to make concepts that may have once been abstract and vague become instead vivid and tangible.

We hope that this gives you some ideas on how you can begin using fischertechnik in your classroom. I’d also like to add, since I just mentioned the Marble Sorting exercise, that by popular demand, we have extended the deadline for entering our own fischertechnik Design and Engineering Challenge: Finding America’s Best Marble Sorter” to January 31, 2012.  For complete details, just click here:

http://www.fischertechnik.biz/ft/en/challenge-2011

So until next time…happy building!

**All booklets come with instructions in English, German, and French, and may also include instructions in Chinese, Italian, Russian or other languages as well.

Author: Lance Zurek