Development and Practice of Learning Materials for an Engineering Oriented Circuit Design Workshop for Elementary School Student

Abstract

This study aimed to develop teaching materials for circuit design and fabrication for elementary school students, and conduct workshops oriented to engineering. First, the content of the circuit design workshop was discussed and it was determined that a connection-focused design would be appropriate. Second, we examined the issue of existing teaching materials. Many of the existing kit materials were not suitable for learning circuit design as it was already completed. In addition, many of them required soldering work, which was too difficult for elementary school students. Hands-on materials that allow students to construct circuits through trial and error were suitable for learning circuit design. Therefore, we developed design and fabrication support materials using a 3D printer and conductive tape. Next, we provided workshop opportunities using developed material, with the theme of “making light-up cards,” wherein elementary school students worked on designing the layout of the components and fabrication. Consequently, students' conceptual understanding of the connection was improved. All students were able to complete the circuit, with high self-evaluations of satisfaction and understanding suggesting that the activity was engineering-oriented.