Eagle's Nest Projects - Student Achievement - Meeting the Challenge

A teachable moment is an unplanned opportunity that arises in the classroom where a teacher/mentor has an ideal opportunity to offer insight to his or her student(s). A teachable moment is not something you can plan for; rather, it is a fleeting opportunity that must be sensed and seized by the teacher/mentor. Eagle?s Nest Projects is unique in that it provides an abundance of ?teachable moments? in teamwork, character, problem solving, safe and correct use of tools, pride in a job well done, and much more.

The primary reward of being a teacher/mentor is being able to see the results of your hard work in action. The students you teach today move on and new students replace them making these opportunities sometimes few and far between. Wednesday was a Double Reward day for the Eagle?s Nest mentors at Clear Springs High School (TX) and we thought you might enjoy sharing in the moment.

Setting the Stage ? David Grover, lead mentor and 4-time Eagle?s Nest offender, set the stage and organized a challenge; Left wing: bottom skins clecoed and ready to rivet and top skins prepped. Right wing: bottom skins prepped and ready to install. Two 55 minute class periods with 18 students in each period.

The Challenge ? Within the two 55 minute period time frame, students must team among themselves, assign tasks, define work flow, (1) rivet bottom skins and cleco top skins on left wing and (2) complete install and rivet of bottom skins on right wing.

Curtain Call ? Challenge met with only 8 clecos remaining in the right wing!

[Group photo taken following morning - many students were still working when the end of class bell rang and a photo op was low priority.]

Clear Springs High School (TX) ? 2nd Period PLTW Aerospace Engineering


Clear Springs High School (TX) ? 3nd Period PLTW Aerospace Engineering

Thanks for all your efforts in Eagles Nest, Ernie.

I looked at the website, and have a question. The concept of design, analyse, build, test, produce, learn, repeat is fundamental to any product. It is something that is either first nature (rarely) or taught. Is the concept of new content, evolution of basics, test/analyse anything new being introduced to these young people within this program? I know most of the young engineers (100's) that ever worked with, or for me, lacked this basic understanding of the big picture. While a small percentage of solutions-looking-for-problems approach is needed, mostly, solutions that are invented to solve a known problem typically work out the best. I had to learn it myself and it took decades. Something that can, and IMO, should be taught.

Is there some working philosophy for the organization that includes this development concept - like the basics of the Wright bros approach? Also, BTW, it is the Toyota way! So, it still applies in the current world.

Thanks again, Ernie.

Nice Job everyone from the Wisconsin Eagle's Nest Program. Hope to meet some of the students at Oshkosh 2017.

BillL said:

Thanks for all your efforts in Eagles Nest, Ernie.

<SNIP>
Is there some working philosophy for the organization that includes this development concept - like the basics of the Wright bros approach? Also, BTW, it is the Toyota way! So, it still applies in the current world.

Click to expand...

Bill,

Great question... and with a wide brush I?ll answer yes, the environment within and surrounding an Eagle?s Nest Project does inspire and promote the engineering concept you describe. With a more narrow brush however I would have to say that it varies somewhat from campus to campus and is driven by the number of engineering pathways offered at the school, the general background and make-up of the mentor team, and the availability of related local resources. To be clear, an Eagle's Nest Project is not a stand alone curriculum. Eagle's Nest Projects are designed to supplement and enhance an existing aviation or aerospace curriculum and are generally partnered with schools offering PLTW Aerospace Engineering. So, in answer to a part of your question, the PLTW curriculum teaches aviation history, fundamentals, airfoil design, wind tunnel testing, and much more. When the students step from the classroom into the lab area their practical knowledge is then transformed into the real deal... building a flying aircraft.

Our Clear Springs campus is unique in several ways; they?re partnered with NASA, the aerospace instructor is a retired NASA employee, the school offers six engineering pathways, and the background of the mentor team is rooted in success, both in business and personal accomplishments. The school district (CCISD) robotics team, the Robonauts Team 118, won the world championship competition last year and they?re looking good for this year as well. The Robonauts accomplishment is a stunning example of teamwork, engineering excellence, and problem solving skills common throughout the engineering departments at Clear Springs High School and the CCISD district.

Clear Springs is currently working on their 4th Eagle?s Nest Project and each year a new group of build-students solve one or more known problems and sometimes throw in an occasional ?wouldn?t that be cool?. During Springs? first aircraft build I casually mentioned that I couldn?t reach the rudder pedals. The next day the students put me in the airplane and began taking measurements. On day two they had CAD drawings ready for the 3-D printer, and on day three I could comfortably reach the pedals. I?ve lost count of the number of solutions to known problems the students at Springs have contributed. My best guess is somewhere between 13 and 15.

Thank you for your interest in Eagle?s Nest Projects and I hope I?ve at least partially answered your question.
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