The Factory at Mount Madonna School (MMS) is a recently re-designated classroom space on the upper campus that students are utilizing for an array of creative projects. Resources include a state-of-the-art 3D printer, Arduino input/output sensors, LilyPad sewable circuits, a full complement of Snap Circuits education kits, soldering irons, ample motors, LEDs, switches and power supplies. There is enough space for up to three classes at a time to store ongoing engineering projects.The room is set-up for work in a mode called “tinkering” that was pioneered by the High-Low Tech Group of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, and is also utilized by the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Students work-on open-ended projects around a single table with common supplies. The concept is to facilitate individual learning, with lots of idea sharing.
Currently there is an elementary specialty class (rotating 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades in ten-week sessions) and the high school Engineering Club utilizing the space. Some initial projects underway are flat and sculptural art that moves and lights up, programmed zoetropes and crystal balls utilizing input and output sensors, light-sensitive robotic weevils, pushcarts and automata, and simple ‘Scribblebots,’ or vibrating machines that scribble. Next semester, a ten-week after-school session will be offered, and the annual 8th grade model solar car activity will utilize this space, giving students the benefit of additional design tools including soldering irons and the 3D printer. A 2015 summer program offering is also in the works.
“Be on the look-out for a Light Up Your Costume sewn circuits workshop in October,’ said science teacher Lisa Catterall. ‘It will be open to parents and students.”
Last year, MMS faculty reviewed the upper school science curriculum and as a result decided to add more technology and engineering activities to its program; Catterall led this effort in planning and coordinating of The Factory.
‘The combination of free-form creativity with understanding technology and electrical engineering is a great fit for MMS in general,’ commented Catterall. ‘The activities are aligned with Next Generation Science Standards for the grades they will be used in, but they are open-ended and free-form. The artistic side of these activities should appeal to the students we have at MMS, who seem to love to build things out of whatever materials they have.‘The Factory is a unique offering among area schools, some of which offer robotics clubs. This space is different and more advanced, and will use more cutting-edge technology than a traditional robotics program. It’s also more open-ended as the students will be engineering a broad array of projects, including but not limited to robots.’
An additional effort underway is MMS’ connection with the Center for Research on Creativity (CROC) at the University of California, Los Angeles. The CROC educational staff has agreed to evaluate the MMS ten-week sessions for their capacity to increase creativity and confidence in engineering skills for students. More information on this program can be found at www.croc-lab.org.####
Contact: Leigh Ann Clifton, Marketing & Communications,
Nestled among the redwoods on 355 mountaintop acres, Mount Madonna is a safe and nurturing college-preparatory school that supports students in becoming caring, self-aware and articulate critical thinkers, who are prepared to meet challenges with perseverance, creativity and integrity. The CAIS and WASC accredited program emphasizes academic excellence, creative self-expression and positive character development. Located on Summit Road between Gilroy and Watsonville.
