Teacher Training Focuses on Enhancing 3D ThinkLink Curriculum

It’s back-to-school time and students aren’t the only ones doing the learning. Teachers from Maryland’s Freestate ChalleNGe Academy and the PHILLIPS School in Annandale, Virginia, are training in our 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab this week.

Jim Field works with an M3D printer

They’re working with our Director of Instruction, Tom Meeks, to improve the 3D ThinkLink curriculum and learn to use some new 3D printing equipment and materials.

Freestate’s Rikiesha Metzger and Jim Field from PHILLIPS are providing valuable insights about how their students have responded to various elements of the curriculum.

Tom Meeks with Rikiesha Metzger

For example, they observed that hands-on activities are crucial for keeping students engaged in learning the basics of Moment of Inspiration 3D design software. Some kids become impatient and tune out when it takes too long to start printing things. As a result, we are reorganizing the lesson plans so that students will be able to print during their very first class session. 

  

In order to improve tracking of students’ progress, Tom and the teachers are adding “assessment projects” to the curriculum. Students will complete a project every week or so to show they’ve mastered key 3D design skills and to exercise the critical thinking and problem solving skills our program emphasizes.  

Rikiesha Metzger, Jim Field and Tom Meeks discuss assessment projects

During three years of teaching at-risk youth about 3D, we’ve learned that these students are especially eager to make things that are personalized, useful and have sentimental value for their family and friends. The assessment projects we’re developing reflect that.

We’re excited to have some new tools that make it possible to create items that can’t be produced with our Cube 2 printers, which use only hard plastic PLA or ABS filament.

The teachers are learning to use the Micro 3D printer, a small, versatile machine made by M3D. It can handle a wide variety of filaments including rubbery and translucent plastics and even materials that change color when exposed to certain temperatures.

These tools will open up all sorts of creative possibilities for our teachers and students as we begin a new 3D ThinkLink class cycle.