User:Vtaylor/Engineering/Question focus

Engineering and applied science activities ideas are everywhere. Combining the ideas and processes for Question Formulation Technique and the Engineering Design Process around any topic will help you understand more about the world and how people use school work in real life.

Design Challenge : QFocus (Question Focus statement) - everything starts with questions. The better the questions, the better the solutions. An effective QFocus should be clear, should provoke and stimulate new lines of thinking and should not be a question. [1]

Questions correspond to the steps in the Engineering Design Process.

• Ask (What? Ask questions, understand the need, identify the problem)
  
• Imagine (So what? Imagine, brainstorm, explore)
  
• Plan (Now what? Plan, design)
  
• Create (Do it. Create, try it out)
  
• Improve (If this then what? Improve, make it better)
  

Engineering Design Process (EDP) - these are the steps that good problem solvers use. It is usually necessary to visit each step many times to get a good result.

• ASK (What?) - identify the problem
• IMAGINE (So what?) - brainstorm, explore similar solutions, possible improvements, materials, methods, new ideas
• PLAN (Now what? ) - design, work out what it takes to build, any special tools, prototype, scale model, mathematical model, CAD
• CREATE (DO IT) - build it, try it out - test it, use it
• IMPROVE (If this then what?) - make it better, additional features

Learn more...

• Question Formulation Technique (QFT) is a simple step-by-step, rigorous process that facilitates the asking of many questions. The process includes the following steps: 1. A Question Focus (QFocus) 2. The Rules for Producing Questions 3. Producing Questions 4. Categorizing Questions 5. Prioritizing Questions 6. Next Steps 7. Reflection

developing activities

• for learner
• walk through the process - information, video provided to enhance the exploration/design experience
• process adapted for these activity presentations
• start with QFocus, combination of learner applying the QFT and the EDP
• provide facts > ASK what are the questions - learner generates questions, identifies problem
• IMAGINE - analyze questions > ideas, more questions
• PLAN - learner works out priorities and how they apply to CREATE step
• IMPROVE - iterations with new information, alternative outcome

• Learn more... - additional resources, background information, similar / follow-on activities
•  ? webquest conclusion - what we think you might have discovered
•  ? separate section of notes for teacher/facilitator/guide

Sources

• start with known outcome, information, video, diagrams, specific engineering elements to be explored, room for further research
• current events
• history - pioneers, explorers, inventors
• familiar products, structures

Deliverables, evidence of learning

• questions, analysis, prioritization with justification, research, explanation of underlying principles
• presentation - creativity, logic
• artifacts of process - models, prototypes, diagrams, sketches, pictures, video, mindmaps, notes, hyperlink alphabet vocabulary list [2],

QFocus (Question Focus statement) [3]

• clear, should provoke and stimulate new lines of thinking
• should not be a question
• in spirit of QFT

Engineering Design Process (EDP)

• these are the steps that good problem solvers use
• specific deliverable at each step
• usually necessary to visit each step many times to get a good result, include specific direction to iterate - new information, restriction > now what

ASK - identify the problem

• provide facts
• QFT - questions, lots
• deliverable - lots of questions

IMAGINE

• brainstorm, explore similar solutions, possible improvements, materials, methods, new ideas
• encourage research, exploration
• QFT - statements to questions, open/closed questions
• deliverable - list of ideas, explanations

PLAN

• design, work out what it takes to build, any special tools, prototype, scale model, mathematical model, CAD
• more concrete, specific
• consider time, cost, resources
• Next Step - how questions will be used - suggest, have learner decide
• QFT - prioritize questions, pick "best" and provide justification for selection
• deliverable - prioritized questions, next step

CREATE

• build it, try it out - test it, use it
• actual data sources, compare with design
• evaluate proposed vs actual
• QFT - action based on prioritized questions
• deliverable - model, prototype, test results

IMPROVE

• make it better, additional features
• discussion topics
• hypothetical restrictions, new information
• iteration
• QFT - repeat - formulate new QFocus, revise/refine problem description
• deliverable - define new activity

Learn more...

• more details, in-depth, more academic
• related projects, activities
• sub-systems, components, sub-assemblies, processes in detail

WebQuest

example

• Introduction - This introduces the student to the unit and gives an overview
• Task - This section tells the students what they are going to be learning by "doing" the WebQuest. It describes the "product" that will be end result of this WebQuest in simple terms. [4]
• Process - These are some suggestions on how a student is to maneuver through the WebQuest.
• Links & Resources - Internet sites that are reliable and useful for the study of volcanoes are listed here.
• Evaluation - Every teacher has their own favorite way of evaluating student work. It also depends if the evaluation is formative or summative. The rubrics shown here can be used by you or you can create your own. rubric
• Conclusion - This is a brief summary that tells the student what they should have learned by doing the WebQuest. [5]
• Teacher Page - This page give teachers the background information necessary to decide if this would be a good activity for their class.