Responding to Patterns of Change

Yellow
Green
Blue
Red
Magenta
Remove
    Bookmark This Page
    Unbookmark This Page
    Chapter 4

    Making Decisions to Solve Problems Chapter Overview

    • Doing Technology
    • Module Overview
    • Chapter 1
    • Chapter 2
    • Chapter 3
    • Chapter 4
    Figure 4-1: What design features of this house make it a good fit for its surroundings?

    In Chapter 2, “When Natural Events Become Natural Disasters,” you learned that at certain times and in certain locations, natural weather events can become severe, resulting in floods, fires, tornadoes, and other natural disasters. In some cases, people can be injured or killed if a severe event occurs. Buildings, roadways, and the surrounding environment can be damaged or destroyed.

    In Chapter 3, “Chance Affects Decision Making,” you learned that the words predict and forecast are used to describe the chance of something happening. You learned about probability and the use of numbers to express the likelihood that something is less likely or more likely to occur. Based on probability, people are better able to forecast and predict different types of natural events.

    Goals for the Chapter

    By the end of Chapter 4, “Making Decisions to Solve Problems,” you will

    • recognize that designs are often adapted to suit a particular environment or set of conditions
    • understand how data can be used to make better decisions about a design
    • be able to explain how benefits and costs need to be considered when making decisions about a design
    • be able to design a product and communicate the benefits and the costs related to the product.

    Read the chapter organizer to see how you will reach these goals. You will find the names of the activities, the concepts you will learn about, and the questions to link the ideas.

    People are now able to predict and forecast severe weather events more accurately. What can they do in advance to better prepare themselves in case a natural disaster occurs? If a hurricane is approaching, they can leave the area beforehand. If they live in an area that experiences frequent wildfires, they can clear the brush around their building and houses. If lightning is imminent, they can seek shelter quickly. Are there ways that technology can help people be better prepared when severe natural events occur?

    In this chapter, you will use your understanding of natural events to explore technologies that may help make people safer. Sometimes people have more than one option to choose from. How do people make decisions? Would everyone make the same decisions? In this chapter, you will also consider how people use a decision-making process to think about choices.

    Chapter Overview

    The preceding chapters have provided information about different types of natural events, including their causes and consequences. Chapter 3, “Chance Affects Decision Making,” focused on how people use probability to think about people’s risks of experiencing different natural events. Chapter 4, "Making Decisions to Solve Problems," focuses on how people can use information about weather events and the probability of those events to design technologies that will help keep people safe and comfortable.

    In the Engage activity, The Right Design for the Right Place, students will develop lists of things they would need to think about if they were to build a house for a specific location. They will consider whether the features they would want to add to the house are related to the functionality of the house or to the appearance of the house. They also will consider whether they would include different features if the house were to be built in a location with different environmental conditions.

    In the Explore activity, Standing against the Wind, students are challenged to construct a model house that stands up to the wind. They must adhere to certain constraints and stay within a limited budget when they design the model.

    In the Explain activity, Decisions Are Part of the Design Process, students will learn how benefits and costs can influence decisions about design.

    In the Elaborate activity, Designer’s Dilemma, students will think about all the factors that a designer needs to consider when designing a technology that will help people solve a problem. Some decisions are made to make the technology function more efficiently, whereas other decisions may make the technology more appealing or fun to use.

    Finally, in the Evaluate activity, Selling Technology, students will design a technology to help people solve a weather-related problem.

    Goals for the Chapter

    By the end of this chapter, students should

    • recognize that designs are often adapted to suit a particular environment or set of conditions
    • understand how data can be used to make better decisions about a design
    • be able to explain how benefits and costs need to be considered when making decisions about a design
    • be able to design a product and communicate the benefits and the costs related to the product.

    Prerequisite Knowledge

    Before beginning this chapter, students should have completed the "Doing Technology" chapter and Chapters 1–3 of the Responding to Patterns of Change module.

    Commonly Held Misconceptions

    Students may harbor misconceptions about the material they will be studying in this chapter. Some of these misconceptions are listed in this section. Do not take time to go through them as a list of lecture topics for your students, but rather use them to inform your teaching as they emerge. Many activities included in this chapter work to expose misconceptions and help students develop better mental models.

    Some common misconceptions include the following:

    • Technology refers only to items such as computers and other electronic devices. Technology is anything that makes our lives easier. It addresses both human wants and needs.

    • The impact of technology is always positive. Technology may be good, bad, or neutral, and the perceptions about the value of technology may be different for different people. Sometimes a technology can have drawbacks as well as benefits. For example, a road may make it easier for people to get from one place to another. It may also have a negative effect on wildlife that, after the road is built, may have a more restricted habitat or a greater chance of being hit by a car.

    • Technology represents perfect design. In reality, there is no perfect design. Usually designers have to make decisions and choices when they create a technology. Design usually involves trade-offs. Designers are also likely to face constraints, such as the cost or availability of the materials, that influence the design. In addition, a design that works very well for one user or for one task may not work well for another.

    Advance Preparation for the Chapter

    For several of the activities in the chapter, you will need only 24 hours of advance notice for preparations. You may need additional time to gather materials for the Explore activity. You will also need to prepare a model to use for a class demonstration. You may find it beneficial to test the model before using it with the class so you achieve the desired result.

    See the Advance Preparation sections of these activities for details on the necessary preparations.