Making in School
Cohort Member
Deepak Kapoor
with support from Yecenia Delarosa
and Jaya Bharne
Why did you choose a career in education?
I want to inspire students to love science so they can be guided to choose STEM related careers in the future which will help make our world a better place.
What hobbies or other interests have your brought to your classroom?
I am interested in developing classrooms around Project Based Learning and am trying to create curricula for an Engineering Design class to help balance test prep with real world practical practices for students to engage in.
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How do you plan on bringing Making to your students this year?
I am teaching a new Engineering Design class that will eventually serve 30 plus students and prepare them to participate in a Make-A-Thon challenge this year. Our students will learn the basics of engineering and design in preparation of this experience.
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Gregorio Luperon High School in District 6 participated in the first Manhattan Make-a-thon High School edition. Two teams from Gregoria Luperon put together Rube Goldbergs that were complex and exciting, using different elements including water, gravity, and dominoes.
The Gregorio Luperon High School for Science and Mathematics
District 6 - Washington Heights
Grades 9 -12
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Making Space
Gregorio Luperon incorporates Making in the classroom to teach Physics and Engineering. The two classes I visited used formulas to solve problems and then tested their results by building projects.
Making Experiences
The Engineering Class was presenting the roller coasters that they designed and built using dowels, foam tubing, and weights. The flexible space in the lab lends itself to students working in groups and testing their ideas. Presenting their work was a culminating point in their project and required them to document, speak to their design process, and share out their experiences. While some of the roller coasters were still in development, the "aha" moments were ongoing. Moving a lever a fraction of an inch meant the marble didn't fly off the loop. Using a heavier marble made the impact with the dominoes at the end that much harder.
Making Ideas:
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This is the first year for the Engineering Design class and Mr. Kapoor has big plans including having students design houses.
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Exploring Physics through Rube Goldbergs brings hands-on applications to exploring formulas.
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Understanding circuitry is another project that will be part of the house design.
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