Human Centered Design of Biotechnology

Classroom Activities

Read Fantastic Failures and Create a Collaborative Google Slides Presentation

Students will be placed in groups of 4-6 students, each with varying degrees of reading proficiencies. Each student will be given a graphic organizer and asked to read one chapter of the book. The other members of the class will each read a different chapter of the book.

• Each student will read their chapter independently. They will complete a main idea graphic organizer for their chapter. Then, each member of the group will take turns sharing the main ideas for their chapter with the other members of their group.
• Each group will then work together to compile their information into one Google Slides presentation that introduces the person(s) they learned about in their chapter and shares one meaningful quote from that chapter.
• Each slides presentation will have a title slide which includes the names of each person in their group, a table of contents slide, and two (2) slides for each chapter—one slide that introduces the person their chapter was about and the main ideas from their graphic organizer and one slide with the meaningful quote they selected. Each content slide will contain text and images.
• When all presentations have been completed, each group will share their slides presentation with the class. In this way, the class will learn about every chapter in the book, while only reading one chapter.
• Duration: This activity can be completed in 3-5 days:
• Day 1: Read chapter, complete graphic organizer, share main ideas with group
• Day 2: Share main ideas with group, begin working on group Google slides presentation with each student completing 2 slides that includes main ideas and meaningful quote with text and images
• Days 3-5: Groups will share slides presentations with class.

Maker Challenge: Build an Arcade Game (First version designed and built using no technology and the optional second version designed and built with the addition of a Hummingbird Robotics Kit.)

In this activity, teams will compete to design and build an arcade game using only four (4) items: cardboard, tape, plastic spoons, and a marble. In order to be successful in this challenge, teams must first sketch out the design of the game—what it will look like, how it will operate, etc. They will explain in writing how it will be played and what the objective will be. They will decide if the game will be scored and how points are obtained (or lost). Then teams must build a functioning game using only the supplies listed above. As they work together, they must determine if there are any other factors that must be decided in order for the challenge to be successful. The teacher will determine how much time is allotted to accomplish the task. The ultimate goal is to design and build a game that works.

Duration: This activity can be completed in 3 days:

• Day 1: Teams will design, sketch out, and begin building game
• Day 2: Continue building game, each team member tests the game, team makes  improvements
• Day 3: Complete the building of the game. (Additional days can be used to allow students to play the other teams’ games.)

In the second (optional) iteration of this challenge, teams will improve their existing model by adding coding and robotics. This time, the following items will be added to the existing items: a laptop, a Hummingbird Robotics kit, and glue (or hot glue). They will sketch out the new design, revise the original model to include motors and servos, and use their laptops to program the Hummingbird to operate the game. In order to complete this challenge, students must have prior knowledge of coding and robotics and must have access to one Hummingbird kit per team.

Duration: This extension can be completed in 3 days.

• Day 1: Teams will design, sketch, and begin building the animated version to include the use of motors from the Hummingbird kit. It may be possible to use a different type of robotics kit, but this is the one I have purchased for my students.
• Day 2: Continue building game, each team member tests the game, team makes  improvements.
• Day 3: Complete the building of the game. (Additional days can be used to allow students to play the other teams’ games. I would love to host a game day where students played each other’s games.)

Play the Failure Game and/or Design Own Version of a Failure Toy

This activity will require the purchase of the Failure Toy kit created by Twenty One Toys (https://twentyonetoys.com/products/failure-toy-kit). This is an expensive investment, but K-12 educators receive a $100 discount, and I believe it is well worth it. (Note: I have had 2 kits funded through DonorsChoose to offset the cost. Each kit will accommodate 20 students.)

The concept involves teams of students competing to balance several oddly shaped wooden pieces on a wooden ring within a certain period of time. There are more than 20 ways to play the game, but all games require experimentation, taking risks, failure, trying again, learning from what does not work, relationship building skills, and working with a different team each round. For each round, a different student will win the “Failure Award” given to the student who has learned the most.

Each kit contains a guidebook with game scenarios, lessons, and discussion topics, in addition to the toy itself. This activity will allow students to learn by doing. They will experience failure many times, but will learn to take risks, adapt, and learn from their mistakes.

After students have experimented with the original Failure Toy, they will design and build their own version of a failure toy that follows the same basic principles, or different principles all together. If the purchase of the original Failure Toy is not an option, teachers may have their students figure out the basic principles for how the toy works and design their own version without having used the original version.

Duration: This activity will require a great amount of flexibility depending on the amount of time the teacher wants to devote to the activity. There are many different ways the game/toy can be used. After each round, the teams can be changed and/or the way the game is played can be played. (Disclaimer: The actual game/toy was not available during the writing of this unit, so I am aware that the explanations are somewhat vague.)

• Days 1-2: Explain how the game is played, form teams and allow 10-15 minutes per round. If teams are experiencing success very quickly, shorten the time for the next round. If none of the teams are experiencing success, add more time for the next round and do not create new teams until at least one team has been successful.
• Day 3: Discussion Questions/Reflection on what has been learned
• Day 4: Begin the process of designing a similar or altogether different version of the toy. The teams will sketch out the prototype, determine what is needed to build the toy and brainstorm about where/how to acquire what is needed.
• Days 5-7: Gather items needed to begin construction and begin to build the prototype. Test the prototype, make adjustments, test again. Ideally, I would like for students to be able to demonstrate their prototypes in other classes, and with other students, get feedback about what works/does not work, and improve upon the design.

Innovating for Change

This activity will follow the Design Thinking process to develop solutions for a real-world problem. I had planned to use the United Nations 2030 goals to have students design a solution to end world hunger or poverty. However, with the rise in gun violence in our city and in our nation, I decided to bring the problem closer to home. The eighth graders that I will work with this year participated in the Young Heroes Program when they were in sixth grade. They chose gun violence in their city as the social issue they wanted to address in their action project. I would like to take that project a step further and have them address it again from a different angle.

This time, students will use the questions that came directly from a lecture in “Human-Centered Design of Biotechnology” taught by Professor Anjelica Gonzalez (with her permission) at Yale University this summer to work through the process. It will be modified slightly for use with middle school students.

Goal: Innovating for an End to Gun Violence

Objective: Students will work in teams to design a solution to address the gun violence in Philadelphia, using the following framework to guide their thinking during the process:

Empathizing

• Who do you interview? (Who do you talk to begin to understand why gun violence is a major problem in Philadelphia? Victims of gun violence? Perpetrators? Community leaders?)
• Can you understand their perspective?
• What are some underlying problems that are addressable?

Ideating

• Where and with whom will you ideate?
• Who can we collaborate with?
• What experts do we need?

Define

• Develop a focus and a targeted problem statement, i.e., “How can we help __________ to ________________?
• Is the hypothesis multiphasic, i.e., are there multiple interpretations or angles to the problem statement?

Experimentation/Prototyping

• Can this be done simply and in a timely fashion?
• What are the early limitations to development?

Testing

• Who do you go to for feedback?
• What is the extent of the feedback that is necessary?
• Is there a sample size target?
• Are there specific outcomes or metrics that you expect from each step of testing?

Duration: This activity can be completed in 5 days:

• Day 1: Walk the students (whole group) through the Design Thinking questions using another problem as a model. This may be a problem that the students choose.
• Day 2: Empathizing and Ideating—In small groups, students will brainstorm answers to the questions above. Each member of the group will be expected to participate and contribute to the discussion. Notes will be taken because they will be referred to throughout the process. Students should note the pros and cons of each suggestion.
• Day 3: Define and Experimentation/Prototyping—Students will work towards developing a targeted problem statement and determining if the problem must be addressed in multiple stages. Can a prototype be designed to address this problem?
• Day 4: Testing—How do we get feedback about our prototype? Who would we ask? How do we know if our prototype is effective in addressing the problem?
• Day 5: Sharing of solutions and reflection—Were the groups able to work through all the steps? What were some of the obstacles? Was the process challenging? How so? What could be done differently?

NOTE: The purpose of this activity is to address the standards and to teach the students how to navigate through the process. It is not necessarily intended to be graded in the traditional sense, but during the discussions and prototyping, the teacher will be looking for evidence of students working through the process collaboratively, listening, sharing ideas, taking notes, and evaluating themselves. It is expected that the process will be re-visited over and over throughout the course.