T/S/M Integration


The Technology, Science, Mathematics
Integration Project
Project Co-Directors: James LaPorte & Mark Sanders
Abstract
The Technology, Science, Mathematics (TSM) Integration Project, funded by the National Science Foundation from 1991-1995, has developed a set of six TSM Connection Activities. Designed for integrated instruction at the middle school level, the TSM Connection Activities challenge students to design, construct, and evaluate solutions TSM Binderto technological problems. Students actively apply principles of science, mathematics, and technology as they go about the process of developing solutions to the problems posed in the TSM Connection Activities. The activities were designed to be delivered by technology, science, and mathematics teachers working in concert. The intent is to interest more middle school children in science and math by using highly motivating hands-on technology-based activities.


TSM Connection Activities Available

A free sampler TSM Connection Activity (The Power Boat, ISBN #0-02-636952) is available from Glencoe/McGraw Hill. If interested, call 1-800-447-0682, ext. 3232 (Trudy Muller) and request the free Power Boat sampler.

The six TSM Connection Activities (Power Boat, Composite Beam, Cabin Insulation, MagLev Vehicle, Plant Plant, and The Rocket) are also available from Glencoe/McGraw Hill. The cost is $57.50 for the set (400 pages). If interested, call 1-800-334-7344 and ask for ISBN #0-02-636947-8.


General Overview
Kids with magnetsThe Technology-Science-Math Integration Project, funded by the National Science Foundation, began in 1991 with the purpose of developing activities that would foster collaboration among technology, science, and math teachers in the middle school. Eleven TSM Connection Activities have evolved from the project. Each is a "design under constraint" problem. "Capture the Wind," for example, challenges students to develop a device that transforms wind energy into electrical energy. These solutions are constructed in the technology education lab with the help of principles studied in the science and math classes.

The technology education laboratory offers a wide range of tools and materials with which to solve these problems. But for the Activities to "work," there must be collaboration with the science and math classes. Working together, this team provides a learning experience that is highly motivating and allows students to see very practical applications for the math and science they study in school.


Structure of Activities
Composite beam testingEach TSM Connection Activity begins with a one-page "Brief" that the student receives. This handout provides students with a general overview and a specific problem to be solved. Design constraints are listed and the "Challenge" is described. The brief also describes the documentation students should include in their portfolios.

The rest of the material provided is intended for the teachers involved. The "Overview" section describes, in general terms, how the Activity will be coordinated among the technology, science, and math classes. This section includes general resources, such as reference materials and videotapes that correlate with the Activity. This is followed by a separate resource section for each of the three teachers. Typically, each section includes 10-15 pages of suggestions for implementing the activities. The math section also identifies which of the NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) Standards are addressed by the Activity.


How the Activities Were Developed
The project began by assembling teams of middle school technology, science, and math teachers. They generated the ideas and initial content for each Activity. A team of technology, science, and math writers were employed to enhance the original materials. The Activities were field tested in more than 40 sites throughout the United States, with feedback from these sites used for revisions.

The TSM Connection Activities were designed to fit with existing middle school technology, science, and math content and facilities. Most of the materials and equipment should already be on hand. Those that are not are generally inexpensive.


Implementing the TSM Connection Activities
Kids using AutoSketchEach TSM Connection Activity generally takes several days to several weeks to implement. Each is designed to be worked into the existing curriculum as a way to motivate students in science, math, and technology classes. Planning is the key to making the TSM Connection Activities work!

There are three phases in each Activity -- Design, Construction, and Evaluation. During the Design phase in "Capture the Wind," for example, science students incorporate force and motion concepts into the design of their solutions. They also formulate hypotheses to be tested later in the Activity. They draw up the plans for their solution in the technology education lab and tackle math issues relating to design at this stage.
Most of the Construction phase, in which students actually build their solutions, takes place in the technology education laboratory. Here the tools, materials, and expertise are readily available. There are ample opportunities for the application of science and math during this phase as well.

The Evaluation phase includes the "Challenge," a competitive event in which students see which solutions perform best. The Challenge may be repeated in all three classes, thus allowing for design modifications and multiple sets of data. These data would then be graphed and analyzed in math class, and the cycle could begin anew with these findings influencing new hypotheses and designs.


Brief Description of the TSM Connection Activities
Mixing concreteCabin Insulation
Design, construct, and evaluate an insulating panel from recycled materials. Technology: basic tools, thermal resistance, energy conservation. Science: heat, heat transfer, properties of materials. Math: equation manipulation, graphing, linear and non-linear relationships.

Capture the Wind
Design, construct, and evaluate a device that produces electricity from wind. Technology: alternative energy, energy generation, energy conversion. Science: basic electricity, voltage, resistance, current, geology, meteorology. Math: surface area, graphing, unit conversion.

Composite Beam
Design, construct, and evaluate a concrete beam reinforced with recycled materials. Technology: construction, composites, material strengths/testing. Science: exothermic chemical reactions, stress and strain, compression and tension. Math: area, volume, proportion, formulas, graphing.

Driver Protection
Design, construct, and evaluate an impact control/passenger restraint system for a vehicle. Technology: materials, ergonomics, energy absorption. Science: Newton's Three Laws of Motion. Math: acceleration, graphing, relationships between variables.

Magnetic levitation vehicles Electro-Crane
Design, construct, and evaluate an electromagnetic device to move junk automobiles. Technology: electricity, mechanisms, simple machines. Science: electro-magnetism, simple machines. Math: multiplication, graphing, proportions.

MagLev Vehicle
Design, construct, and evaluate a magnetically-levitated vehicle powered by an electric motor. Technology: electrical wiring, fixed path transportation. Science: simple electricity, conductivity, electro-magnetism, properties of materials. Math: time, rate, distance.

The Plant Plant
Design, construct, and evaluate a hydroponic production system. Technology: hydroponic production systems. Science: plant nutrition and growth, scientific method, experimentation. Math: statistics, collecting/organizing data.

Pollution Free Vehicle
Design, construct, and evaluate a vehicle powered by a non-polluting energy source. Technology: power transmission, basic tools and machines. Science: potential and kinetic energy, simple machines. Math: radius, diameter, circumference, proportion.

The Power Boat
Design, construct, and evaluate a safe toy power boat. Technology: energy conversion, boat hull design, drag. Science: buoyancy, surface tension. Math: calculating displacement and volume.

Robotic Transfer System
Design, construct, and evaluate a hydraulic-powered system to transfer hazardous materials from one point to another. Technology: basic tools and machines, fluid power transmission, fluid power circuits, controlled motion. Science: Bernoulli's Principle, Boyle's Law, Pascal's Law. Math: relationships between variables.

The Rocket
Design, construct, and evaluate a model rocket that maximizes height and velocity as well as the "hang time" for the nosecone descent. Technology: rocket design, principles of flight, guidance and tracking, altitude and wind speed measurement. Science: Newton's Laws of Motion, Boyle's Law. Math: multiplication, trigonometry, graphing, angles.


Other Descriptions of the Project/Activities
Student and teacher at computer Articles with detailed descriptions of the project/activities have appeared in the following publications: The Technology Teacher, March 1993; TIES, March 1994; Science Scope, March 1993; and School Science and Mathematics, January 1994.

The project was also one of the four "Current Initiatives in Technology Education" described in the "Technology Education" supplement of the 1994 edition of the ASCD Handbook.

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