Lessons in the Loop
Idaho kids learn physics, math, and PR when they design and market a roller coaster
Twin Falls, Idaho—"The Regurgitator" seems an appropriate name for a roller coaster that sends one's stomach lurching, spiraling, and somersaulting through maneuvers known as bat wings, corkscrews, and loops. At least, that's what some 14-year-olds at Twin Falls' Vera C. O'Leary Junior High School think. Childhood visits to amusement parks taught these kids that the bigger the gastrointestinal challenge, the better the ride. So when they were asked to design a roller coaster as part of their eighth-grade curriculum, they were more than happy to oblige, devising detailed plans for a super hurler that could outdive, outspin, and outloop the best coasters on the planet.
This unusual course of study is part of a technology-supported, interdisciplinary project called "It's a Wild Ride." The eight-week unit, led by teachers Theresa Maves, Meile Harris, and Jill Whitesell, integrates science, math, and language arts. And it brings some complex concepts into clearer focus for kids.
When students first discover they'll be studying roller coasters, "They're amazed that something like a roller coaster could be academic instead of just recreational," says Maves. Students quickly learn that there's more to a roller coaster than churns the stomach. They grapple firsthand with the laws of motion, linear and nonlinear equations, and technical reporting. But instead of just reading about Newton's laws of motion in a dry textbook, students get to see how these principles determine the movement of a car (or, for classroom purposes, a marble) on a roller coaster track. Instead of just practicing mathematical equations through classroom drills, students get to see how these equations can predict whether the moving object will stay on track through a 360-degree vertical loop. In short, kids get to see real-world applications for the material they're covering in school.
"Kids are always asking, 'Are we ever going to use this?'" Harris says. They often see math as "boring number-crunching" unrelated to the real world. "But there's so much more to it," the teacher asserts. Math is, in fact, best taught in interdisciplinary projects where students can see the connections, she says. "Projects like this show kids that math is everywhere, behind everything, including a roller coaster."
Students discover that the real world isn't divided by subject matter. "We really want students to see that outside our school world, science does not stand alone," Maves reports. Nor does language arts, adds White sell, noting that the project allows her to "weave" reading and writing into science and math curriculum. Kids find out that literacy skills are necessary for most real-world jobs, even if you don't plan to be the next great American novelist.
The concepts and skills covered in the project are tied closely to district learning goals and state standards. "When we design learning activities," Maves says, "we start with standards and benchmarks and let those be our guide." Additionally, technology is used in a variety of ways, including access to computers for help with calculations and design, as well as access to the Web for research. Students also use graphics programs for their group projects.
Phases of the project include:
- Accessing prior knowledge about roller coasters
- Investigating content-specific skills and knowledge with experiments in math and science that build understanding about force and the laws of motion
- Expanding knowledge of roller coaster design with research and further experimenting related to roller coasters
- Applying new knowledge to the design and construction of a roller coaster model
- Contributing knowledge to a group roller coaster design in one of four careers: engineering, architecture, research, or public relations
In the application stage, students design and build their own scaled-down roller coaster, using such materials as old garden hoses, foam pipe-insulation tubing, and anything that can be stacked or connected into a kind of scaffold. Students then cut the hose or foam tubing to create a track that is draped, twirled, and secured to a frame. The coaster must include a drop, a loop, and an inversion. Different-sized marbles serve as vehicles for a series of experiments on how mass, weight, speed, and acceleration interact when the marbles hit the track.
Students learn from these experiments that "the marble must have enough velocity to make it through the inversion," says Maves. This means the inversion needs to be near the beginning of the track where force and velocity are greatest, and before too much friction has come into play.
After individual projects, groups of students work together to design a real-world coaster, taking on job assignments as engineers, architects, researchers, and public relations specialists. This work requires multiple calculations and laborious research, as well as the development of marketing and advertising plans.
Says Harris: "Anytime students personalize learning, they take away more meaning. Things make sense."
For more details on this and other projects that integrate technology into the curriculum, check out Intel's Innovating in Education Web site at www.intel.com/education/.
