First, imagine that you had the money to send your kid to private school. Then, imagine that that private school got some 3D printers. If you’ve successfully accomplished both of those things, you might picture something like Renbrook School in West Hartford, Connecticut. The school, which includes students from preschool through to the ninth grade, recently acquired 3D printing technology and the students are already putting it to practical use.
Typically, when a middle school starts a 3D printing program, I’ve found, they begin by making aesthetic parts, say for a school play, or look into projects with visionary goals, like teaching Braille to those with visual impairments. Renbrook, however, has taken a great practical approach. They’re already fixing broken devices around the school. Their science teacher, Jean Kracke, explains the real world importance of learning, saying, “They like to research and study, and then write down just the right answer and not be wrong. Kids need to learn that in real life, you’re wrong sometimes, in fact, often.”
By repairing items in the school, students have the opportunity to apply abstract educational concepts to the world they live in, simultaneously providing them with theoretical and practical skills. Dr. Armistead Webster, head of the school, explains “All of those kinds of skills go beyond the reading, writing and arithmetic, which we do well, but this is taking it to another level.” An eighth grader, Sage Sutton-Hall, is using the technology to print backup parts for the school’s power tools. Meanwhile, another eighth grader, Chris Melman, is using the school’s Afinia to replace a broken part for the school’s sound system. Now, if only they could fix our broken public education system!
Source: NBC Connecticut
