Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

45 minutes – Part A: Prototyping and Testing
60 minutes – Part B: Preparing Prototypes for the Community
15 minutes – Reflection

Part A: Prototyping and Testing

Step 1.

Ensure that the Learning Intentions and Success Criteria are displayed or written on the board and read them aloud to students.

Learning intention:

I am able to develop ideas for robotics education activities based on peer and user-feedback.

Success criteria: I can...

... create prototypes to share with others.
... adapt prototypes based on feedback.

Step 2.

Explain to students that in this lesson they will be learning how to gather useful feedback on their ideas for a robotics activity to further develop them. Students will create a simple prototype of their activity that can be tested.

Before showing the following clip, explain the terms 'low fidelity' and 'high fidelity' prototypes. Explain to students that low fidelity prototypes are early designs or concepts, such as a sketch. A high fidelity prototype is a more developed design or concept, such as a working model:

Circles of Feedback (https://youtu.be/kLxKFYR0WyU)

Once the clip is complete, invite students to discuss what it suggested about feedback and what type of prototypes should be developed for different levels of feedback. Emphasise that while the clip referred to digital designs (i.e. App development) the same ideas can be applied in any context.

Explain that the first people to test their prototypes will be other students in the class. Ask students which circle of feedback this would be classified as and what prototypes they are best to give feedback on. Suggested answer: product team; best suited to low fidelity prototypes.

Step 3.

Hand out the Student Worksheet and explain to students that, as they continue designing and developing activities for their community event, they will need to receive feedback from others to refine their ideas.

Explain that the process they will go through in this lesson is:

Create a simple (low fidelity) prototype of the intended robotics activity for the community event. It can be a sketch/picture or a simple example of what you wish to create.
Find a place in the room to display it for others to view.
Select a group member to stay with your prototype during the feedback time to receive feedback from others.
During the feedback time, observe the ideas of others, considering their 'How Might We...?' statement and giving them feedback.
Once the feedback time is finished, return to groups to discuss the input from other students.
Record suggestions and discuss how the prototype could be changed.

Note: These steps are recorded for reference on the Student Worksheet in part 1, 'Initial Prototype Activity'.

Allow time for students to create their first, low fidelity prototype.

Step 4.

Provide 15 minutes for students to view the prototypes of others in the class and provide feedback to the group member who has remained with the prototype.

Step 5.

Re-form groups to discuss feedback and possible changes to the prototype.

Part B: Preparing Prototypes for the Community

Step 1.

Explain to students that the next step is to create a simple, interactive prototype that they can share with the intended end-user to test its suitability.

For example, if a group asked:

How might we show the Foundation students that robots are within their reach and they are capable of controlling them?

they might develop the idea of having robot races. Students would need to have a rough idea of the distance the wanted the race to be, something to mark the start and end and a way of determining the winner.

To prototype this students could set up a pretend robot race using alternative materials, such a tennis balls, or they could make a detailed to scale model or drawing of the race set up, or they could have a robot on display for people to trial near a detailed explanation of the race.

Encourage students to get creative in their prototyping. Could they create a video of what they are thinking and share it digitally or use a program similar to Sketchup to create a design?

Step 2.

Explain to students that they will now have time to develop their prototypes. Explain the following steps for them to progress through, making reference to the 'End User Prototype' checklist in part 2 of the Student Worksheet:

Create a simple interactive prototype of your idea. Remember, it does not need to be perfect yet, because you will probably still make changes to it.
Decide which end users you will invite to test your prototype. Remember to have a back up plan in case some people aren’t able to assist.
Decide what you will look out for while they are trying the prototype.
Decide what questions you will ask about the prototype.
Decide when you will conduct the prototype tests.
Seek permission from teachers to have students trial the prototype and/or uses specific spaces of the school.
Ensure that all resources are organised and ready for when you need them.
When you conduct your test, ensure that all group members have the Student Worksheet with them to record notes about how the end-users interact with the activity and what feedback they give.

Allow time for students to develop their prototypes.

Note: Students may need to sketch the robot that they are using in their prototypes, so be sure to keep robots handy for this step.

Step 3.

Students may need to get permission to arrange for students to come and trial their prototype during class time, or use classrooms during lunch times. If this is the case, work with students to plan how they can make this happen and when.

Step 4.

Once prototypes are complete, invite groups to briefly share their prototypes with the rest of the class, and explain who will be testing them and when.

Reflection

Invite students to a class circle to reflect on how they are progressing in the Design Thinking process.

Allow time for each student to respond to the following questions:

How do you feel about your activity design?
What do you think of the Design Thinking process?

End this lesson by inviting students to think about their first prototype, and how far their ideas have progressed in such a short amount of time. Congratulate students on persevering with what is a very challenging real-world process.

Differentiated Learning

Extension: Invite students to organise a plan to test their prototype amongst subject matter experts. This can be done using the same checklist and notes used to get feedback from their peers. This feedback will need to be collected before the next lesson, so be sure to inform the class when the next robotics lesson is and work with them to plan a time to collect their feedback.

Provisions for Learning Support: Discussions with individuals and groups throughout this lesson should be based on your understanding of their knowledge, skills and confidence levels. Keep in mind that more scaffolding (e.g. additional questions and modelling) may be required for some students. Others may require specific critiquing to ensure they are reflecting on and developing their ideas.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Learning Robotics - Prototype a Robotics Project

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Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will...

Success criteria:

Students can...

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