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Students experimenting
with the black box. |
In
science class, we just concluded our work with "the black box" project. We referred to this as the black box because students never
see what is inside. Wikipedia describes a black box as "a device which can be viewed solely in terms of its input, output and transfer characteristics
without any knowledge of its internal workings."
With the investigation into the black box concluded, the students had to
design what they imagine could be the apparatus inside the black box.
Using observation and experimentation the students had to use their data
to help define the inner workings. Students discovered that when water
was added, sometimes only a fraction of the water exited the box. Other
times, the black box released more water than was added. Students had to
make inferences about what would cause water in the box to behave in
this manner.
Students had to defend their ideas in class by explaining how well their
concepts matched the data collected during the investigation. The class
discussed each team's ideas and helped them to make needed
modifications.
At the end of the project, the students completed a writing activity
where they discussed their confidence in their designs. Through the
course of the black box experience, students were employing skills in
perseverance, teamwork, critical and skeptical thinking, and
problem-solving. You can see student work on the lab blog at
http://amslab110.blogspot.com.
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Student model of the inner
workings of the black box. |
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Student explanation for the
black box phenomenon. |
