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In-Depth Information
On the other hand, ironically, the very standards programs intended to
improve the quality of public K-12 education may also act as a barrier to the
adoption of 3D printing and design curriculum. Because of the emphasis on
test performance due to the No Child Left Behind Act, it has become risky
for schools to introduce new content into an already crowded curriculum.
In addition, at most K-12 schools, engineering and design are not a core
educational requirement and therefore not part of a standardized test. In order
to embrace design and printing technologies, teachers must igure out how to
apply them in support of state standards. The challenge lies in translating vague
and conceptual standards into crisp, relevant, and interesting lesson plans.
Some states set statewide curricula and approve textbooks for statewide
use. Typically, however, the development and use of curricular materials is the
responsibility of a local school district or a school. The good news about state
standards is that standards tend to be vague, leaving teachers lots of wiggle
room to teach what they feel is best.
There is little prior formal research on the best way to integrate 3D printing
and other desktop manufacturing systems into classroom instruction. Testing
new curriculum is not a simple procedure. The U.S. Department of Education
asks that public school teachers engage in what's known as “Evidence-Driven
Curriculum Design.”
MakerBot funds K-12 public school teachers to create innovative
classroom lesson plans. In a second-grade classroom in Brooklyn,
New York, students learned about erosion by designing houses and
placing them on a sand “river bank” where they were washed away.
