Wondering how Engineering Educates might look in your school?
 Read on to find out how St. Michael’s R.C. Primary School engaged with The Secrets Within Challenge.
What's it all about? Engage your class in the fascinating context of the hard to reach mysteries of the ancient pyramids. In this challenge, learners discover that engineers are creating robots to explore hidden spaces and then design their own robots to navigate challenging, hard-to-reach locations. 
What did they do? Led by their teacher, Mrs Weaver, learners explored the Engineering Design Cycle (EDC pupil activity available here) while developing key skills in problem-solving, teamwork, and creative thinking. 
Guided by the Design Specification resource, learners considered user needs, functionality, materials and mechanisms, before designing their robot and engaging in some peer assessment. Learners refined their designs, based on that feedback then built their prototypes using a variety of materials.
Making links to their learning in computing, they built electrical circuits to add lights, and some used micro:bits to program light sensors.
After modifying their prototypes, robots explored the suspended ceiling - such a great real-world context! 
A huge well done and thank you to Mrs Weaver and her Year 5 class for embracing engineering principles and demonstrating outstanding teamwork and creativity.

If you have an Engineering Educates story to share, please email us at engineering.educates@manchester.ac.uk
What are the benefits to you and your learners?
  • Increased learners' motivation
  • Increased teacher subject knowledge and confidence teaching D&T and Computing
  • Gives learners real-world contexts and purpose to their learning
  • Excellent opportunities for cross-curricular learning
“My favourite part was coding the micro:bit, I learned how the sensors worked to monitor the light.”
“I learned how to make a circuit with a switch in to be able to turn the light on our robot on and off.”
“The project made me realise how enjoyable and challenging doing an engineering project was.”
"When the robot wouldn’t fit into the room we had to improve our design and & try again.”
'Share Your Voice' bursaries are back... 
This term's bursary applications are now open! 

Deadline for applications
Friday 16th May 
Find out more
Apply Here
Engineering Educates: Robotics Challenge is brought to you by SEERIH at The University of Manchester and the UK-RAS Network as part of an EPSRC Programme Grant. We are delighted to link teachers with professional researchers and academics working in cutting-edge robotics. A fantastic way to inspire learners to apply curriculum learning.
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