Above my partner Chris and I are putting together our ramp!
When we did our experiment with balls and ramps I found myself attempting to learn in different ways. My partner, Chris and I had plenty of resources at our fingertips that would allow us to build an effeicient route for our ball to travel up and down...but what made this task difficult was finding the right materials to use -with the right set-up.
The goal was to construct a course that had a high drop off point, a steep dip, an incline to travel up, a straight stretch, and a decline. After the ball had gone through these obstacles we had to figure out a way to make the ball keep rolling to where it stopped at least several feet away from the end of the course.
My partner and I worked together to figure out the right structure. We would ask each other questions like, "If we put this ramp lower would the ball have enough momentum at this point to make it over the ramp?" or "What would happen if we made the drop off point even steeper than what it already is?" With questions like these, my partner and I would change certain things in the courses structure and try it out until we got the ball where we wanted it to be.
Since there were other groups around us attempting to do the same thing, my partner and I observed the ongoing conversations around us, to gain insight as to what was or was not working for other groups. So, the learning that took place in this experiment occurred through inquiry, observation and experimentation, through which my partner and I came up with a course that worked well.
Just like a teacher must experiment with different teaching techniques, we experimented with different course set-ups. Once we found the right set-up, similar to a teacher finding the right teaching methods, everything worked out fine. All it takes is a little bit of patience, inquiry, and team work!
