Abstract
This paper will report on a case study that was conducted involving Grade 10 learners who were exposed to a high-tech rapid-prototyping environment of a Fabrication Laboratory as part of a FabKids experience. This project must be viewed in the context of a global shortage of key skills placing a higher priority on the initiation and development of a pipeline to attract youth into science, engineering and technology careers. Creativity and innovation feature high on the skills agenda but more importantly preliminary results indicate that learners from a broad range of schools were able to operate effectively in this post constructivist environment. Participants had to apply their knowledge, skill, attitudes and values in order to produce a solution to the challenges provided. The fundamentals of the design process of investigate, design, make, evaluate and communicate were emphasized where the FabKids had to draw on their own collective knowledge using a range of technologies available to them.
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- AMTS:
-
Advanced Manufacturing Technology Strategies
- DST:
-
Department of Science and Technology
- FabLab:
-
Fabrication Laboratory
- FESTOC:
-
Federation of Science, Technology and Engineering Olympiads and Competitions
- FET:
-
Further Education and Training (Grades 10-12)
- GET:
-
General Education and Training (Grades 0–9)
- LED:
-
Light Emitting Diode
- MIT:
-
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- N-Gen:
-
Net Generation
- NCS:
-
National Curriculum Statements
- NSI:
-
National system of innovation
- RNCS:
-
Revised National Curriculum Statements
- OBE:
-
Outcomes Based Education
- RFID:
-
Radio-frequency identification
- YESA:
-
Young Engineers and Scientists of Africa
- YiSS:
-
Youth into Science Strategy
- ZPD:
-
Zone of Proximal Development
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Beyers, R.N. Nurturing Creativity and Innovation Through FabKids: A Case Study. J Sci Educ Technol 19, 447–455 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-010-9212-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-010-9212-0