Students will learn 3D printing from the ground up. Starting with why 3D printing is an important skill through to how we 3D print and how the various printers works, then on to designing their own 3D structures.
Education is all about giving students the skills and knowledge they'll need or might benefit from in the future. Nobody knows what the future working landscape will look like for our students so it's important to give them the tools to help innovate and create that future. 3D printing gives students the skills to prototype, to work through a design cycle, to look at product design from a perspective they might not have otherwise. It allows students to quickly prototype and in particular focus on the evaluation and redesign phase of the design cycle, which is less simple with other teaching options. 3D printers will continue to improve and potentially have a major impact on our students' futures so it's important to give them the skills to work with them.
The PrintLab Classroom is a fantastic resource to get teachers and students started with 3D printing, but also provides ideas on 3D print lessons, giving teachers all the materials they need. It provides the opportunity to take 3D printing out of a specialist environment and embed it in the everyday classroom with its range of Professional Development options for teachers. We will use it in my classroom for lesson ideas, class materials, as well as to help differentiate lesson plans for students of various abilities.
Start small. Work on small projects at a time before writing entire unit plans around 3D printing because there are a number of logistical challenges you'll come up against. You'll need to think about the best teaching methods for 3D printing, the logistics of how students will print, or for younger students, will you do all the printing? Will you take care of filament or pass that on to students etc. You'll learn to tackle those challenges in those small projects and once you have them ironed out, it's much easier to then write a unit plan that works for your classroom.
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