Tinkering is fun and engaging, but schools often focus on tests and strict thinking skills instead. Can testing and tinkering be made compatible? The 8th grade students at Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders think so. Students at Ann Richards learned the fundamentals of Newton’s Laws and speed calculations through the construction of ramps designed for wheelchair bowlers. Students applied their knowledge to design the ramps in GoogleSketch-Up, then built the ramps in conjunction with the Austin Tinkering School and tested ramps at the UT Underground bowling alley. Come and see the ramps and hear from the students about what they learned – and why more schools should teach thinking with tinkering.
