Students make strides in project-based learning

Sycamore Junior High School students have put academics into action with a project that addressed a real-life challenge.

They are part of Project Lead the Way, a national STEAM program that incorporates hands-on activities within the classroom. Teachers receive training, resources and curriculum to create a real-world challenge for students.

This challenge, which incorporates the academics of science, technology, engineering, arts and math of STEAM, met the challenge of designing footwear for young patients with cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy impacts a person’s ability to move because of damage to the brain as it’s developing during pregnancy or shortly afterward. Muscle control, tone, reflex, posture and balance can be affected.

Students were tasked with designing foot orthotics that would help patients improve their mobility.

Seventh- and eighth-graders worked in teams of four over two days to develop a design, then build a prototype from materials they found in the classroom.

“We used a lot of material,” eighth-grader Madison Boni said. “Cardboard, foam padding, duct tape, lots of duct tape. We also drilled through popsicle sticks to hold the joints together.”

The project included specific criteria.

The orthosis had to allow upward movement of the ankle while preventing patients from pointing or rising up on their toes.

The design had to support the foot and ankle, which allowing the foot to be placed flat on the floor.

“We had to make sure it could bend down but not bend up while being durable and comfortable,” eighth-grader Clair Atkinson said.

Just like in the real workplace, some student encountered difficulties while designing and building the orthotic devices. It’s all part of the learning process, teacher Justin Dean said.

The collaborative effort required students to document each step of the design process as they define the problem, generate concepts, design a solution, build and test a prototype, evaluate the solution, and present it. It also provided an additional learning experience.

“While this project was mainly about students learning (and) experiencing the design process, it was also a great opportunity for the students (to) learn about cerebral palsy and the effects that it has on a person's body,” Dean said. “To begin this project, students were shown a PLTW-generated video about cerebral palsy and its effects and we discussed many of the questions students had about the condition. Throughout the project, many students continued to ask questions and did additional research about the condition in order to better understand how to design their foot orthosis. 

“Then, after they presented their final design solutions, students were asked to reflect on whether or not they thought their foot orthosis would work effectively for a person with cerebral palsy and how this orthosis would impact their lives. Through these reflections, students indicated that they had a greater understanding of cerebral palsy, a new understanding of the struggles experienced by people with cerebral palsy, and a feeling of accomplishment for constructing a foot orthosis that would be able to help people with cerebral palsy.

“(The project) gives students a chance to apply their knowledge toward real-world problems and come up with unique solutions,” Dean said. “It helps them decide even before high school if this is something they might be interested in doing as a career.”