Sharks, are you ready to invest? On Nov. 7 at St. Francis Middle School (SFMS), eighth graders in the engineering technology class had the opportunity to pitch their group project to investors in a format similar to the television show, “Shark Tank,” which features entrepreneurs making business presentations to a panel of venture capitalists (Sharks).
To make a 3D printing project more relevant with real world applications, students were assigned to form engineering teams and identify a problem they could solve through the 3D printing process.
“By adding elements of presentation, packaging, cost, and financing we have been able to create a more meaningful project,” said Joe Bruhjell, SFMS engineering technology teacher. “The Shark Tank format turned out to be a great way to challenge the students.”
Once in their teams, students 3D printed their inventions to see if what they created solved their problem. More often than not the students discovered their product had failed and were afforded the opportunity to redesign their product. The failure allowed students to see where their designs missed the mark and offered a chance to build resilience.
“Making the model fit the design I had in my head was the most challenging,” said Charlie Denning, an SFMS student.
“A challenging part of the project were the measurements and how to apply them to the Onshape program,” said Hardy Kaniki, a SFMS student.
In preparation for the Shark Tank scenario, teams used Canva to create a package to advertise their product and many developed logos and names for their business. For the presentation, students covered: their problem; demonstrated their product; discussed the cost of the manufacturing process and how much they would sell their product for; roadblocks during the process; and a pitch for the Sharks to invest.
“It was fun to invent things with minimal restrictions,” Denning said.
“Making the design was fun and you got to be as creative as you wanted to be,” Kaniki said.
Sharks were volunteers from the school, school district and the community and were tasked with picking groups to “invest” in.
“I’m always really impressed with what those 8th graders can do,” said St. Francis Area Schools Superintendent Karsten Anderson. “The project shows some innovative programming where they involve not only software to create a 3D print, but collaborative work, design work, and presentation skills. I really enjoyed being a part of this project.”
View photos from some of the Shark Tank presentations.
More about SFMS Technical Education
At St. Francis Middle School, students engage in a technical education class each year as part of their exploratory learning opportunities. These classes help students to discover their interests, develop engineering technology skills and explore potential career paths. Through a variety of hands-on projects, students gain experience in areas such as coding, woodworking and technology. The classes are designed to inspire curiosity, develop critical thinking skills, and promote creativity which supports a foundation for lifelong learning.
“We are blessed to have these opportunities for our students as not every middle school has this extensive of a program,” said SFMS Principal Heidi Critchley. “It is amazing to watch students work on the variety of projects designed by their teachers. They learn more about themselves and discover new interests which opens opportunities for them.”