Vol 66, No. 4 - International Technology and Engineering Educators ...

said, “No, it is a bolt.” With that information she waved the
socket wrench in the air and yelled many times, “I tightened
a bolt!” She made the entire class smile, and they enjoyed
her success.
The SPED class was not permitted to take the computer
keyboarding class, so I thought they should get to use our
lab. We started with the West Point Bridge Builder program.
I had used the program previously and therefore did not refamiliarize
myself with it before opening the program using
an LCD projector. The program was a newer version and I
said aloud, “I am not sure what I am doing.” One student,
who had a computer at home and used it daily, asked if he
could try something. He attempted several commands and
asked if anyone else wanted to try. Before long, I learned
how it worked. I told them I would design a bridge, and they
should try to improve and make one that was less expensive.
I omitted some parts and made an expensive design. We
tried to test it, and the program said my design was unstable
and cost six million dollars. I showed them how to get
started and suggested that they work as partners due to our
limited number of computers. The student who helped me
get started came up to me and said. “Mr. Yuill, you tricked
me into helping you by saying you were not sure what to
do. You are really a good teacher.” That was the icing on the
cake, as each student designed a bridge that worked. We did
the activity for three days, and each day I encouraged the
students to share their findings with the others in the class.
When someone created a less expensive bridge that worked,
everyone checked it out and applauded. We printed out the
design for each student upon completion.
With the success of the bridge unit, we moved on to
designing a house. This time I practiced with the program
before demonstrating in front of the students. I did not
give them much information initially, but encouraged them
to share their findings with others. If they had problems,
they were to ask others in the class for help. This approach
worked, as they taught each other and communicated in a
positive way. I helped those students who really needed help.
We used the LCD projector and showed all the designs to
everyone. One student did not have a door in the bathroom
and was asked by another student, “How does a person get
into the bathroom” The student replied, “With a door!” and
installed one with a quick click. All designs were printed to
take home to show family members.
One day the students really touched my heart. During the
morning announcements, the principal announced that it
was my birthday. I had a few students say happy birthday,
but during the SPED class, I had difficulty quieting the class
enough to allow me to talk. Finally one of the very quiet
boys stood up and said, “Excuse me, please, I have a birthday
card for you from all of us.” They then sang Happy Birthday.
It really caught me off guard and I had trouble saying,
“Thank you very much!”
Helping these students learn was a delightful experience,
and I hope all of you have the same experience with your
students on a daily basis!
Ron Yuill, DTE is a technology teacher at
Tecumseh Middle School in Lafayette, IN. He can
be reached via email at ryuill@lsc.k12.in.us. Ron
also serves as co-mediator for ITEA’s popular
listserv, IdeaGarden.
Ad Index
Autodesk.........................................................C-2
Forrest T. Jones & Company......................... 31
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher...................... 33
Graymark.......................................................... 31
Hearlihy............................................................ 33
Kelvin Electronics..............................................4
Mastercam.....................................................C-4
PTC........................................................................i
SolidWorks.....................................................C-3
Tech Ed Concepts, Inc................................... 33
Valley City State University.......................... 13
30 • The Technology Teacher • December/January 2007