Embedded Files
Project Goals
Project Goals
• Growth Cycle Management and Troubleshooting: Students experiment with the mechanics of food production by designing, growing, and maintaining functional hydroponic systems. A critical part of this phase is managing growth cycles and engaging in active problem-solving when systems fail to see how technical disruptions affect the crop.
• Quantitative Resource Tracking: Students conduct data-driven investigations where they track and produce detailed data on plant growth, water usage, and yields. This allows them to quantitatively measure the efficiency of their "bio-units" (educational analogs to commercial systems).
• Biological and Ecosystem Observations: Rather than just learning about abstract "chloroform processes" (likely referring to chlorophyll and photosynthesis) in a textbook, students physically grow plants to observe natural processes like root zone development and study how plant biology and ecosystems function in a controlled environment.
• Social and Sustainability Modeling: Students experiment with the social side of sustainability by creating food distribution plans to ensure their harvest reaches the community. They also create educational materials to explain the mechanics and benefits of the technology to others.
These activities are designed to help students—including troubled students who may struggle with traditional learning—focus and feel more connected to their school by providing them with a physical, natural process to take care of.
What Didn't Work
What Didn't Work
The transition from theoretical science to physical application revealed the following difficulties:
• System Failures: Students encountered moments where their growing systems failed during the management of growth cycles. While the sources do not detail specific mechanical breaks, they highlight that these systems are complex "mechanics" that require constant maintenance.
• The "Abstract Gap": In traditional settings, students often learn about biological processes like photosynthesis (noted as "chloroform processes" in the sources) without ever having grown a plant. When faced with a physical system, the "planned" textbook version of science often clashed with the reality of a natural process that requires constant care and environmental monitoring.
• Complexity of Controls: Research from earlier phases, which informs this educational work, shows that maintaining a hydroponic environment is incredibly resource-intensive, requiring precise heating, cooling, and supplemental lighting. Any failure in these energy-dependent components can jeopardize the entire crop.
How We Adjusted
How We Adjusted
When these systems did not function as intended, students and educators adjusted their approach in several ways:
• Active Problem-Solving: Students were tasked with problem-solving when systems failed, turning technical setbacks into learning opportunities regarding the "psych and mechanics" of the units.
• Collaborative Care: Learners adjusted by working in teams to care for the living systems. This shifted the responsibility from an individual academic task to a collective social effort, which reportedly helped troubled students focus and become more connected to their school.
• Shift in Perspective: Instead of viewing the project as a rigid "scientific process," students were encouraged to see it as a natural process. Observing the root zones and physical plant development allowed them to adjust their understanding of how nature corresponds with technology.
• Use of Analogs: To make these adjustments more manageable, students used "bio-units". These are educational analogs of commercial equipment that allowed them to practice scaling their efforts from tiny areas to larger school-wide systems.
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