For this project, we were asked to try to solve a problem that faces the world. We needed to devise a solution that could help solve this problem. This is a large scale problem, so we were advised to focus on a specific aspect of the problem. This task sounded quite complicated, but me and my team consisting of myself, Kian Namiranian, Sam Sokalzuk, and Luke Venezia set out to make the world a better place!
Our Problem
The problem that we chose to solve was the education system. We realized that it would not be possible to take on all the flaws of all the world's education systems at one time, so we stuck to what we knew: The US Education System. Our solution focused on educating the public about the flaws in the system and devising a new system without these flaws, but still keeping the good qualities.
Our Solution |
To combat this issue, We pitched a new system of education. Our new education system kept all the pros of the current education system, but replaced some of the cons. Here is the slideshow in which we pitched our solution:
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Engineering Design Cycle
Identify Need- All of our group members noticed a lack in quality in the education system. We all decided that it was a problem that needed to be solved so we decided to come up with a solution as our project.
Research Problem- Research was a huge portion of our project. We started by identifying 3 credible sources about our topic. My sources were: "The Common Core FAQ", "Opportunities for Gifted and Talented Students in American Schools", and "A Back-to-School Primer. 6 Facts About the Education System and Learning in the US." We also researched advanced education, common core, our system in relation to the education systems of other countries, diversity in schools, and the federal education budget. The information we found was included in our slideshow.
Develop Possible Solutions- We were hooked on redesigning the education system, so we developed a list of improvements for our education system. We used a no-wrong-ideas rule when brainstorming. Here is what we came up with:
Select the Most Promising Idea- We narrowed down the list of improvements to the ones we thought were best and added some ideas. Here is what we ended up with:
Construct a Prototype- We put together a presentation that explained our new education system(above) dubbed "The Iguana System." The presentation combined our research and our improvements. We also created three surveys for fellow students. One, Luke's survey, was focused on students thoughts on the current school system. The other, mine, focused on class placement in Freshman and Sophomore math.
Test and Evaluate the Prototype- We tested our prototype by making the surveys public to fellow students. The surveys were available on novatoschoolsurvey.weebly.com. We used the data from our survey in our presentation.
Communicate Design- We combined all we had learned from the previous steps into one final presentations.
Redesign- In this step, we went back through our presentation and added data, flaws, disclaimers, etc.
Repeat- We didn't have enough time for this step, but if we did, we would have done all the previous steps again and ensure that we did everything correctly.
Research Problem- Research was a huge portion of our project. We started by identifying 3 credible sources about our topic. My sources were: "The Common Core FAQ", "Opportunities for Gifted and Talented Students in American Schools", and "A Back-to-School Primer. 6 Facts About the Education System and Learning in the US." We also researched advanced education, common core, our system in relation to the education systems of other countries, diversity in schools, and the federal education budget. The information we found was included in our slideshow.
Develop Possible Solutions- We were hooked on redesigning the education system, so we developed a list of improvements for our education system. We used a no-wrong-ideas rule when brainstorming. Here is what we came up with:
- lower student to teacher ratios
- longer school times -> longer weekends
- higher teacher standards
- AP classes for Freshman
- Better teaching conditions
- Class placement based on intelligence
- No grade levels
- Remove uninterested students
- More drug control
- Classes for specific career paths
- Pass-fail system
- Nap time
- Better school food
- Co-ed school
- More sport options
- No standardized tests
- No finals
- Uniforms
- Mixed classes with special-ed students
- Academic levels for students
- More student opportunities
- Specialized equipment
- K-12 schools
- More field trips
- Better substitute teachers
- Classes for moral values
- Competitions
- Rally days
- Spirit days
- Buddy system
Select the Most Promising Idea- We narrowed down the list of improvements to the ones we thought were best and added some ideas. Here is what we ended up with:
- Advanced classes for freshman and up
- Academic-level specific classes
- Teachers have better benefits
- Specialized courses for careers
- Field trips
- No standardized tests
- Guest Speakers
- 3 point grading system
- Public schools
Construct a Prototype- We put together a presentation that explained our new education system(above) dubbed "The Iguana System." The presentation combined our research and our improvements. We also created three surveys for fellow students. One, Luke's survey, was focused on students thoughts on the current school system. The other, mine, focused on class placement in Freshman and Sophomore math.
Test and Evaluate the Prototype- We tested our prototype by making the surveys public to fellow students. The surveys were available on novatoschoolsurvey.weebly.com. We used the data from our survey in our presentation.
Communicate Design- We combined all we had learned from the previous steps into one final presentations.
Redesign- In this step, we went back through our presentation and added data, flaws, disclaimers, etc.
Repeat- We didn't have enough time for this step, but if we did, we would have done all the previous steps again and ensure that we did everything correctly.
Reflection
The project turned out to be a success, but this project, had a lot of ups and downs. The original problem we wanted to solve was overpopulation. We were all very excited until we started coming up with the solutions. We couldn't think of anything! That's when we resorted to Plan B: the education system. After we researched it a bit, however, we became equally excited with our new problem. The problem switch was definitely a low point in the process. This part of the project taught me flexibility and improvisation. A high came with our research. Our research portion of our project went extremely well. We were able to gather a lot of data on our issue. This allowed us to really educate people before we pitched our solution. This part of the project taught me the importance of research. After a while, however, our team dynamic started to waver. We started disagreeing and taking different attitudes towards the project. This kind of threw off our productivity and teamwork. This part of the project taught me cooperation and teamwork. A peak to finish it off was our presentation. The delivery of our presentation went really well and I feel as though we really connected with our peers. Judging by the amount and content of the questions that were asked after the presentation, I think we really interested our classmates. This part of the project taught me public speaking. I still have places to improve on though. There are opportunities to improve on collaboration and learning to look at things from someone else's perspective. This project really allowed me to view engineering from a different standpoint. It was a great experience of non-physical engineering and overall a really fun project.
The project turned out to be a success, but this project, had a lot of ups and downs. The original problem we wanted to solve was overpopulation. We were all very excited until we started coming up with the solutions. We couldn't think of anything! That's when we resorted to Plan B: the education system. After we researched it a bit, however, we became equally excited with our new problem. The problem switch was definitely a low point in the process. This part of the project taught me flexibility and improvisation. A high came with our research. Our research portion of our project went extremely well. We were able to gather a lot of data on our issue. This allowed us to really educate people before we pitched our solution. This part of the project taught me the importance of research. After a while, however, our team dynamic started to waver. We started disagreeing and taking different attitudes towards the project. This kind of threw off our productivity and teamwork. This part of the project taught me cooperation and teamwork. A peak to finish it off was our presentation. The delivery of our presentation went really well and I feel as though we really connected with our peers. Judging by the amount and content of the questions that were asked after the presentation, I think we really interested our classmates. This part of the project taught me public speaking. I still have places to improve on though. There are opportunities to improve on collaboration and learning to look at things from someone else's perspective. This project really allowed me to view engineering from a different standpoint. It was a great experience of non-physical engineering and overall a really fun project.