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Inspired by the way that the FDA evaluates the effectiveness of new drugs,
new teaching methods or curricula must be supported by data obtained from
controlled randomized classroom experiments. Teachers and researchers can't
just use some new teaching method because of a hunch they have. Experiments
irst need to compare the performance of students subjected to the proposed
new teaching method against the performance of students subjected to the
current standard method (the baseline). To qualify, the new method must
demonstrate a statistically signiicant improvement in both short term and
long term performance.
The challenge with Evidence-Driven Curriculum Design is that it is dif-
icult to perform blind, unbiased, randomized experiments in the classroom.
It takes time, and everyone involved—the teachers, the students, and their
parents—is often aware of which group students are in. If participants have
negative preconceptions about a particular method, their behavior will likely
be affected, and they won't willingly embrace a method they already disap-
prove of. Perhaps some schools are already engaging in experiments to test
the impact of design and 3D printing on student learning. It will be a slow
process, however.
The road ahead
Is 3D printing going to change the classroom? Yes. Will there be a sudden and
dramatic transformation of classroom curricula? No. Like any new technology,
3D printing will move into classrooms in its and starts, embraced by some
schools and subject areas and ignored by others.
The more dificult path lies in elementary and middle schools. Most pri-
mary and middle schools don't have a design and engineering curriculum. To
weave design and 3D printing into a mainstream public classroom, teachers
must somehow attach these technologies to support students' acquisition of
traditional, core knowledge. As a result, introducing 3D printing becomes a
stretch, one that tests the ingenuity of the teacher.
We should mention here that some of the boldest and most innovative uses
of 3D printing take place in college and university curricula. However, it's
easier for university professors to experiment with 3D printing in their class-
rooms. Lesson planning in public K-12 classrooms is less lexible and public
school teachers don't have readily available funding to pay for technologies.
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