It is time to determine if your solution will work! Testing is an important part of designing technology. Testing can help you see if your solution is effective. Testing can also help you determine if you need to make any changes to your design. Materials
-
Get the model of your solution. If you need to make any repairs to your model, do so.
-
With your team, complete the Test Design master. Make sure to discuss each section of the master. Each team member should complete a master and attach it in his or her technology notebook.
-
Join with a classmate from another team. Complete the TSAR strategy about your completed Test Design master, as the students in figure 4-8 are doing. Hint
-
Return to your original team of 3. Share the advice you got from your TSAR partner as well as any changes you made. As a team, decide on the changes you will make to the team plan.
-
Test your design according to the plans you made on the Test Design master. Be sure to keep track of your results in the data table you drew in your technology notebook.
-
If you have time, you may make changes to your design to address any problems you discover. You may then test your design again.
-
As a team, decide how well your design worked and any changes that should be made.
-
By yourself, write a brief paragraph to explain the team decisions from Step 7. Each team member should write his or her own paragraph.
Activity Overview
In this activity, students will test and evaluate their solutions. They will work to create a test for their product. They will then complete the test and make changes to their product based on the test.
Before You Teach
Materials
For each team of 3 students:
- model of the solution, built during the Explain activity
- 3 copies of Master 4-3, Test Design
- any materials needed for testing (see Advance Preparation)
Advance Preparation
Make copies of Master 4-3, Test Design if you choose to use it. If your students have more experience with fair testing, you might wish to have them design a more detailed investigation than what is on the Test Design master.
It’s a good idea to get students thinking earlier whether they will need any additional materials for testing. For example, if they have designed a solution to clean up oil spills, they may need vegetable oil, water, and a large bowl to ensure that their solution works.
As You Teach
Outcomes and Indicators of Success
By the end of this activity, students will
-
demonstrate their ability to conduct tests on their product.
They will show their ability to conduct tests by
- designing the test that they will use to test their product
- carrying out tests on the product.
-
use evidence to make changes to their product.
They will show their ability to use evidence by
- deciding on changes that need to be made to the design based on testing
- writing a paragraph to explain the changes that should be made and why
- describing whether the design was a success and explaining why.
-
demonstrate understanding of some phases of the process of technology design.
They will demonstrate their understanding by
- choosing which phases they worked on during the activity
- describing how they were doing that phase during the activity.
Strategies
Getting Started
Allow students to retrieve the models that they built during the Explain activity. Ask them what they think they need to do next. Students should say that they need to test their models. Then initiate a discussion of why it's important to test the models. Refer them to the Chapter Organizer to read the key idea and linking question for this activity.
Process and Procedure
Ask if any students need to make repairs to their designs. If so, give them a few minutes to do so. For students who do not need any time, have them move on to the next step.
Distribute copies of Master 4-3, Test Design. Depending on your students’ knowledge about fair tests, you may need to help them with the idea of controlled variables. They should work with their team to complete the master. If your students have more experience with fair tests, you may want to have them add more details to those listed on the master.
Teams should be working in pairs for this step, with students from other teams. Ideally, students from one team will each pair with a student from a different team. Have students complete the TSAR strategy on their test design.
Hint The hint suggests that students refer to How To Use the TSAR Strategy. The teacher version of How to Use the TSAR Strategy provides additional support on this topic.
Once students return to their original teams, allow them time to share what they learned and make any changes to their test plans. Depending on your students, you may want to add in a step for you to approve their plans before they continue. This is also an opportunity for you to find out if students need any additional materials to simulate the environmental concern if you have not done so already.
Students should test their models according to their plans on the Test Design master. As you walk around the room, make sure students are keeping good records of their observations and data.
If time allows, students should make changes to their model and test again. Ask them to make changes based on evidence from their tests.
Allow students enough time to discuss how well the design worked and what changes they would like to make if they could.
Students should work individually to write a paragraph explaining the changes the team decided on. Emphasize to students that they should provide evidence from the test to help explain why they would make changes.