Lesson Plan: Inventing “Assistive Devices” That Give People Their Independence | PBS NewsHour

What do hearing aids, wheelchairs and prosthetics all have in common? All three are examples of assistive technology that help people with disabilities or the elderly perform daily activities independently or with assistance. In this lesson, students will learn about assistive devices and how innovation plays a key role in the invention process, including raising empathy. Specifically, students will learn how 3D printed prosthetics are changing lives and design their own assistive technology to help others.

Using the invention process, teams will be asked to identify a problem that could be solved through a new assistive device or an innovation to an existing invention. They will then sketch, draw or build an assistive device to share with their classmates in 4 to 5 minutes presentations. Students should receive constructive feedback from their peers, work on any redesigns and present their device to real-life stakeholders. An optional activity for schools that have 3D printers will allow students to 3D print their final designs.

Kevin Warfield is an experienced Project Lead The Way teacher at Greenbrier East High School in Lewisburg, West Virginia, teaching pre-engineering and architecture. Prior to becoming a teacher in 2006, Kevin worked for 15 years in civil engineering and architecture. In 2015, Kevin was named Greenbrier County Teacher of the Year and was a finalist for West Virginia Teacher of the Year. In 2016, Kevin and his team of students were awarded a Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam grant. With this grant, the students invented a building material out of cardboard called Greenbricks. His students work with a local manufacturer to develop prototypes and testing equipment for the window industry. The students also work with an architect in the community on local-real world design problems as well as collaborating on curriculum and design challenges.

Access the original lesson from PBS NewsHour here.