Although Green Vale’s innovation lab opened in 2019 as part of the Bacon & Biondi Building and has been home to robotics and various interdisciplinary projects, this fall marked the launch of a formal scheduled program. “Innovation” is now built into the academic schedule like art, music, library, and technology.
“I made this in Innovation Class.” Currently, Pre-Kindergarten through 4th Grade students go to innovation every other week. 5th Grade attends on winter Wednesdays when sports is modified, and 7th Grade has innovation for half the year. All of the classes are taught by Harvey Bass, who has moved from the internal technology function to be a full-time innovation teacher.
What happens in innovation? “We look at new aspects of modern technologies and revisit old technologies. Where did refrigeration come from? Why do planes fly? How do electric motors work? A hands-on approach to things creates so much motivation on the students’ part; it's remarkable,” says Bass.
What equipment is in the lab?
“The exuberance not only affects the other students in the class, but also hits me as well. It’s been a most rewarding experience.”
The lab offers 3D printers (both large and small format), a laser cutter printer to work in different design media, computer boards and components for building computers, two different robotics sets, art materials, soldering guns, electronic —Harvey Bass multimeters to measure current, voltage, and resistance. Errors from the 3D printers are displayed so that students can learn from them, and accept mistakes as integral to design.
Sample Projects
Fine Motor Skills
Pre-K
balloon rockets
Kindergarten
harmonicas
1st Grade
dancing, coloring robots
2nd Grade
electric cars
3rd Grade
soldering
With children’s use of screen technology has come a decline in fine motor skills. “Research clearly shows that motor skill development helps improve cognition,” says Bass, “so we have to put it back into the domain of learning.” All innovation projects have a motor skill component, from simply working with tweezers and blocks to careful gluing and soldering up to constructing robots with small pieces.
4th Grade
State Fair displays
What makes an ideal project?
5th Grade
robotics obstacle course
7th Grade
hydrogen-powered cars
Over time, the innovation lab will not only be a standalone class period; it will be a seamless extension of other academic classes, enabling students to express ideas through different materials. “I think of it as an integrated maker space and thinking space,” says Bass.
Collaboration with other departments is gaining momentum. Science students used 3D printers to build models of insects. History students created elements of dioramas about ancient Egypt. For the 4th Grade State Fair, each student’s “booth” display will be made in school instead of at home, where elements are often store-bought and parent-directed. Mr. Bass will coach them on design planning and materials selection. “The most successful projects follow student interest,” says Bass. “Even when I have an end product in mind, we get there together. I say, what do we need to build a robot? Batteries. Ok. What next? Even 1st Graders engage with this approach.”
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