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Module 2 Week 1

Assignments

Task 1: [A Simple Circuit]

I have set up a simple electrical circuit from Fun with Circuit (Sparkle) with a battery, a bulb, a switch and crocodile clips. This helps me to have a better understanding of how an electrical circuit works.

The switch is turned on.

The switch is turned off.

Task 2: [What are the conductors?]

I have set up another simple simple without a switch to test if the metal ruler, pencil lead, paper clips, binder clips and a key are conductors.

Using Tinkercad to create a simple circuit

Challenges and Solutions

Challenges Solutions
Bulb failed to light up Test the bulb using just a wire and battery, or change to another bulb. If the bulb works, check that the battery has power and that the battery orientation is correct.
Loose connections Check if the alligator clips are tightly connected to the terminals. Ensure positive is connected to negative correctly.
Using too many components at once Start with one component at a time. Test after each addition to see where the issue occurs.

Reflection

**An Educational Activity - Light up Paper Animals Imagine a classroom filled with paper animals that actually light up when touched. ⸻

Learning Objectives

Students will:

•   Understand a basic electrical circuit (power source → conductor → load).
•   Identify positive and negative terminals.
•   Practice fine motor skills (cutting, placing tape, positioning leads).
•   Apply creative design thinking.

**How It Works

Students draw a character and then embed a simple circuit behind the paper to power the LED as its “eye”, “nose”, “heart”, badge, etc.

Battery (+) → Copper Tape Path → LED (long leg = +) LED (short leg) → Copper Tape Path → Battery (-)

**Methodology / Steps:

*Introduction (10 minutes):

  • Briefly explain what electricity is and how a simple circuit works.
  • Demonstrate how connecting an LED to a coin cell battery makes it light up, emphasizing polarity (the long leg = positive).

*Design Phase (15 minutes):

  • Students design their favourite animals on paper.
  • Decide where the LED light(s) should go — e.g. eyes, nose.

*Circuit Building (25 minutes):

  • Apply copper tape as circuit “wires” inside the card.
  • Stick the LED legs onto the copper tape (ensuring correct polarity).
  • Connect the ends of the copper tape to the coin cell battery.
  • Use a paper flap or sliding tab as a simple “switch” to complete or break the circuit.

*Testing and Troubleshooting (10 minutes):

  • Check connections if the LED doesn’t light up.
  • Encourage kids to identify possible problems (loose connections, reversed
    polarity).

*Gallery walk (10 minutes):

  • Once the LED works, students can put up the light up animals on the wall - forest or zoo
  • Students can ‘visit’ the zoo or ‘hike’ in the forest by doing a gallery walk.

**Role of the Kids:

  • This activity would be classified as “Digital Fabrication with Kids.”

*Reasoning:

  • The activity involves children actively participating in building and personalizing their circuit (not just following instructions step-by-step).
  • They design, create, and test the physical artifact themselves, making meaningful choices about how their favourite animal looks and which part of the animal should light up.
  • Although the technology (LEDs, batteries, copper tape) is simple and not digitally programmed, it still fits within the digital fabrication ethos—hands-on making that integrates design and technology to produce a tangible outcome.

Challenges of Using Electronics in Primary Schools (Singapore)

  1. Limited Lesson Time

Most science periods are short, and electronics activities take time to: • Distribute materials • Assemble circuits • Troubleshoot mistakes • Pack up This means deeper exploration often gets rushed.

  1. Linking Activities to Learning Outcomes

Electronics lessons work best when tied clearly to: •Electricity or Energy transfer (P5 or P6 Science) • Problem-solving (CCE and Applied Learning Projects) • Iteration and testing (Design Thinking) If the purpose is unclear, it can feel like “just for fun” or “craft time.”

If I am teaching Grade 1 to 4 or if i am not teaching Science, it is dificult to find time to use electronics in the class as this component of electronics is not in the curriculum at all.

To support the students, I have to think of modifying the lessons to suit the lesson objectives so that it will not turn into just for fun lessons.

⸻

  1. Teacher Confidence and Training

Just like me, many primary teachers do not have an engineering background. Common concerns: • “What if the component spoils?” • “How do I explain when the circuit doesn’t work?” • “What if students ask questions I can’t answer?”

Without confidence, lessons can become recipe-like instead of inquiry-based.

To support the students, teachers have to start the inquiry themselves and anticipate what the problems are and the questions that the students may ask.

⸻

  1. Fine Motor Skills and Handling Small Components

Primary students are still developing control and patience. They often struggle with: • Tightening battery clips • Fitting wires securely • Recognizing + and – terminals Loose connections = frustration.

  1. Safety and Care

Even simple setups need supervision: • No short-circuiting batteries • No mixing components from different sets • Gentle handling (wires get damaged easily)

If not well-managed, teachers worry the class becomes too chaotic.

  1. Storage and Kit Organization

Electronics kits have many small parts. Without a system: • Items disappear • Sets become incomplete • Setup becomes slow

Teachers often spend their own time sorting and checking.

To support the students, ready-made kits like Fun with Kits can be purchased to get the students to explore simple circuits. This will reduce the hassle of managing the lessons with safety, care, storage and organization.

  1. Wide Student Learning Differences

In the same P3–P6 class: • Some students grasp circuits quickly • Others struggle with the idea of current flow

This leads to: • Fast finishers waiting • Some students feeling lost • More management load for the teacher

To support the students, a differentiated lesson will be better.

Reflection on Project-Based and Problem-Based Learning

Overview

I have implemented Project-Based Learning (PBL) and Problem-Based Learning (PrBL) across different levels, with a focus on designing progressive learning experiences that build inquiry skills, collaboration, and real-world application. For younger learners, I provide more structured, hands-on experiences, while older students work with increasingly open-ended and complex problems.

Lower Primary Example: World of Science

For lower primary students, I introduced the ‘World of Science’ project where students planted and observed bean seeds. Although they do not have formal Science lessons, this project nurtured curiosity, observation skills, and responsibility. Students also used ICT tools to capture photos and create simple digital reflection journals, developing communication and digital literacy skills.

Upper Primary Examples: Real-World Problem Solving

For older students, I used PrBL to encourage them to address authentic community needs. One project involved designing homes for seniors. Students researched common challenges faced by seniors and proposed design solutions that were safe and inclusive. This strengthened empathy, reasoning, and design thinking.

In Science-based design challenges, students applied key scientific concepts: - Designing floating boats from recycled materials to explore buoyancy, density, and sustainability. - Creating lunch bags that reduced heat transfer, requiring them to justify material selection based on thermal properties.

Development of Soft Skills and 21st Century Competencies

Through group work and reflection, students developed collaboration skills, shared responsibilities, and practiced positive communication. They strengthened socio-emotional skills such as empathy, self-awareness, and perseverance when refining designs and responding to setbacks. These experiences also nurtured the 21st Century Competencies of responsible decision-making, creativity, civic literacy, and digital fluency.

Challenges Encountered

  1. Differentiating across levels required adjusting structure and scaffolding.
  2. Time management was needed to balance project depth with curriculum pacing.
  3. Group work dynamics required explicit teaching of roles and conflict resolution. 4. Purposeful ICT use needed modeling to move beyond capturing photos to meaningful reflection.

Conclusion

Overall, PBL and PrBL promoted deeper engagement, real-world meaning, and personal growth. With thoughtful structure, reflection routines, and skill-building, students developed both academic understanding and essential life skills

Tools

  • Sparkle - Fun with Circuits, Tinkercad