KidWind is real project based learning. The students learn, through doing, the concepts that they study in all of their core classes. The math that is required to build a successful turbine includes algebra and geometry. They use science concepts such as experimentation. They learn about engineering by designing, building, testing, redesigning, and building again. Rapid prototyping comes in as the students design gears and print them using a 3D printer. The English skills that they are learning come into play as they create and then present information about their wind turbines and wind power in general. History comes into play when the students research the history of wind power which goes back millennia and has had a direct effect on travel, agriculture, and manufacturing for as long as humans have been harnessing wind.
What makes this project based learning is that there is no one correct solution at the onset. Students have to make the determination of what is the best solution for them. This is student-centered learning where the teacher takes a supporting role. The students are the leaders and the decision makers.
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