Wednesday, August 26, 2015

The Cup Challenge

Today, as a class, we discussed the importance of working in teams, in STEM class and in life. This lead to our team building activity, the "Cup Challenge". Prior to the students coming to class, I tied either three or four pieces of yarn to a rubber band, counted out six plastic cups, and made note cards with each member of the group's role. The materials collector gathered the materials and put materials away when they finished. The starter arranged the cups in the starting position each time. And, the recorder took notes to share with the class on the difficulties and successes that the group experienced. I assigned the roles for each group member by random draw, and after I explained the challenge the students got to work. After getting the materials, the starter placed three cups upside down with one cup right side up on top of the previously placed cups. Then the students used their "tool" to rearrange the cups to make a pyramid with three cups on the bottom, two cups in the middle and one on top.
Many of the groups conquered the challenge quickly. As I walked around the classes I overheard students trying to work together. Some students would ask "how are we supposed to do this?" I explained that STEM class was about critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. In STEM class we think outside of the box to solve a problem. It was great to see the students actively engaged and having fun!