How did your team conceive your project? How was inquiry introduced to students and how did you integrate the inquiry process into your project?

When I shared with Sandra a course I was teaching in the Art Education Department at SAIC (School of the Art Institute of Chicago) that focused on new technologies, there was an aspect of that course which peaked her interest. It was the role automata's played in the history of technology. Automata's use cams, cam followers, and linkages, as well as other mechanisms to make moving sculptures. We discussed how these machines were some of the first complex machines produced. I suggested to Sandra that a scaled down version of this project could connect really well with her simple machines unit with her 4th grade class and she agreed. 

We introduced the project to the students by showing them different examples of wooden automata created by artists from around the world. Many of these movements were absurd or comical and the students loved these examples! We began to discuss what kinds movements were being recreated as well as how they were being created mechanically. 

Looking at the artists work gave students the inspiration to begin thinking about how their movement could tell a story about them. Their sculptures rotated or moved up and down and we encouraged students to use that movement to express stories about their life during the pandemic. Students created scenes of outdoor activities such as riding bikes or used the project as a way to express stories of what life was like before the pandemic, such as flying to Mexico to meet family. Also, our inquiry question evolved based on the students' interest, from asking "How have simple machines inspired the modern technology that we have today?" to "How can I use technology to tell my story?”. 

From the initial proposal, to the midyear report, to the project conclusion, how did your team’s project change over the course of the school year? What motivated each change?

One of the challenges we had was making sure students had the materials they needed for the project. Sandra and I planned what materials the students would need to construct cardboard automata, then Sandra bought some of the needed supplies to create art kits for the students to pick up. However, even after several reminders some students were still unprepared and to add to that Sandra had just started teaching in-person which made it even more challenging for students to remember their supplies.

However, having said that, because the automata were being built out of cardboard and many of the supplies were materials students could find at home, some students were really able to improvise. In fact, one student, Brenda, didn't have the wooden skewers needed to make her cam and cam follower move so she used a wooden spoon instead. Although, her automata didn't move smoothly we were really impressed with students' ability to problem solve. 

Another challenge with teaching in a hybrid setting was that Sandra and I had to really slow the instruction down. Due to time constraints some of the content we had planned to cover wasn't possible, such as, we didn't have time to talk about creating different shape cams to create different types of movements or that automata could be considered a type of low tech GIFs and exploring that idea further. 

While it was quite hard to help the students individually some of the students mentioned that an older sibling, parent or grandparent was helping them with the project, which we thought was great. 

How did the project end?  Considering the goals you set for yourselves in your proposal, did you achieve what your team sought out to do?

As it was mentioned above, it was definitely a challenge having to work with both remote and in person students at the same time.  Overall, I believe more than the goals we had set were achieved.  Students were excited to be working with a CAPE artist.  At first they did not understand how science was going to connect with art.  By the end of the project some students were able to use their science vocabulary to explain how their project worked.  Students still struggled to transfer the explanation into writing, but if asked questions they were able to respond and have a conversation in which they were making connections to what we learned in science and our CAPE project. Students began grasping Newton's Laws of Motion.  Students were able to give examples of potential and kinetic energy.  Students were problem solving independently and together with their classmates.   Even though many students had their cameras off or were too shy to talk, it was wonderful to see and hear the curiousity and wonder they had when they did open up.

Choose 1 standard that you worked on and discuss how the standard intersected with a part of your project.

4-PS3-4 Apply Scientific ideas to design, test and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.  

Students were introduced to kinetic structures which they made from cardboard and fasteners.  Through the kinetic structures and the automata students explored potential energy turning into kinetic energy.

4th VA:Cr1.1.4 a. Brainstorm multiple approaches to a creative art or design problem.

This standard aligned with our project because students were constantly going back and forth between finding different solutions to get their cam and cam follower to rotate smoothly, while at the same time thinking about how the movement would connect with the narrative they were creating. Since students were also asked to think about foreground, mid-ground and background, when developing their scene or story, students had to try different approaches to get their cardboard pieces to balance or rethink scale etc. 

What did you learn about your students and how they learned? What did you learn about the way you teach?

Working through this project I was reminded that modeling and explaining with clear details is important.  Step by step directions needed to be clear, precise and repeated.  Since my classroom was composed of remote and in person students there were different levels of help a student could receive.  For some remote students this became a family project.  These students had the ability to seek guidance and support from Niema, myself and family member.  Other remote students had zero extra support at home because parents were working and their siblings were in class as well.  In person students were patient as I tried to attend to the remote students at the same time.  While in person students worked on their projects I was able to assist them or provide any missing supplies. 

As Sandra said students learned best when instruction was broken down into incremental steps, and these steps needed to be repeated continuously. I think it was also helpful to have a rubric which we developed with the students. Having clear objectives (which were also open ended) guided students to produce thoughtful and personally meaningful work.

Something I want to consider for the future is that students really wanted to include some element of fantasy in their work - students talked about using super heroes or video game characters in their work. This was challenging because we wanted to them to tell their own stories, but I’m wondering in the future how that fantasy element could be combined with telling their own personal story too.

Students sketch out their ideas for their automata (left). Students are asked to reflect on the vocabulary they are learning (above). 

Students share their finished automata. The sun on Alan's automata rotates around when you turn the lever (image above right). Alan learned to ride his bike during the lockdown and wanted to share that happy memory. While another student's work shows a plane flying in the clouds, which connects with his memory of traveling to see family in Mexico before the pandemic started. Students also added found objects inside their automata which connected with the narrative on the top of the structure.