When classroom teacher Diana Harris was considering what 3D printing furniture project to do with her students, she was inspired by her students’ own personal experiences in coming to Australia.
Diana’s class at Richmond Primary School in Australia has an Intensive English Language Program as her students are all newly arrived in Australia. So when Diana teaches her students STEM subjects, she has to consider an additional English language component.
Diana’s engaging 3D printing project involved creating a letter for her class from a French doll family who was moving into an empty dollhouse. In the letter, the family asked the students to make them miniature furniture so that their house would be furnished and ready to live in when they arrived.
This empathetic project helped the students develop their English language skills, their understanding of Design, Technology, Maths and Engineering and their spatial awareness. What a great example of teaching across the curriculum while designing a project that students could truly relate to!
Following through the steps of the Design Thinking process, Diana’s students designed their doll’s furniture using Makers Empire 3D and then printed them out using a 3D printer. They then placed the furniture in the doll’s house ready for the French family.
You can watch a video with Diana and her students here:
Richmond Primary School is part of the 3D Printing in Schools project, a partnership between the Department of Education (SA) and Makers Empire. In 2018, 100 schools in South Australia will be part of phase 3 of this project, following 50 schools in 2017, and a pilot project in 2016.
A recent 3D Printing in School Showcase Day, celebrating the first group of 2018 schools, saw almost 50 schools come together to share their learning at the Adelaide Convention Centre.
Like to learn more about Diana’s project? Watch the video that Diana and her students created to explain their project:
