The D-Level was transformed into a robotics lab when Science 8 students designed, constructed, and tested autonomous robots. After planning space missions–each with the goal of searching for life at various locations in our solar system–students used their robot designs to showcase how their mission could succeed.
Prior to designing their robots, students learned about the field of astrobiology and how scientists are looking for life in our solar system. Students were tasked with conducting research and choosing an extraterrestrial location that they think is most likely to have life. To put their learning to the test, each group presented their research to a mock panel of investors and explained why their chosen planet or moon was the best place to search for life. Students also spent time engaging with robotics training tutorials and mini-challenges, developing the computational thinking necessary to problem-solve during the design challenge.
After choosing an extraterrestrial location and getting acquainted with computational thinking, students started constructing and coding their robots. A major goal for each robot was the ability to collect samples and drop off a probe. To achieve this, students included mechanical arms that would be able to grab samples, color sensors that could guide their builds across color-coded fields, and distance sensors to orient their robots amid obstacles. There were no singular solutions to the myriad of problems each group encountered during the design process; students were required to consistently iterate and fine-tune their work. “When we were testing it, we had a whole bunch of problems each time,” Analise Gottschalk ’29 shared. “The hardest part was figuring out what wasn’t working so we could fix it.”
I hope this project helps students realize that anyone can be an engineer and anyone can code. Many of the 8th graders had never done any robotics before this year, and yet they succeeded in designing their own robots and successfully programming them to complete the challenge.
Kristina Klammer, Middle School Science
Throughout this assignment, students consistently reflected on how they applied aspects of computational thinking to solve problems. In particular, students assessed their decomposition (the ability to break down problems into smaller, more manageable parts) and iteration (the testing, evaluating, and adjusting needed to make improvements) in order to track how their thinking evolved throughout the process. These skills can be seen in the problems students solved. “Building working arms and grabbers to collect samples was a big challenge,” Middle School Teacher Kevin Rohn mentions. “Students overcame this challenge by continually iterating and fine tuning their designs. For example, one group had issues with their grabber on the front of the bot because it was heavy and tipped the whole thing over. They solved this issue by moving the grabber to the back of the bot and towing the collected sample behind it instead.”
In coding and robotics, we expect most of the things we try to fail at first. And maybe at second and third too. It’s by problem-solving through computational thinking that those failures fuel success. I hope students experienced how perseverance and continued iteration leads to great outcomes.
Kevin Rohn, Middle School Science
Amidst the coding, building, and testing, students found ways to express their unique perspectives through their creations. “My favorite part of the process was building accessories for the robot,” Nathaniel Bennett ’29 mentions. Groups leaned on collaboration, working through problems aloud and taking turns coding, steering, and designing. Each build became a reflection of the students working on it and their collective creativity. Through this collaboration, iteration, and computational thinking, students developed the skills necessary to design solutions to real-world problems.