Building Desks for Calculus
Kamala Qalandar’s calculus class built desks for a collaborative project.
Recently, the calculus I class needed desks for a collaborative project, so students rolled up their sleeves and pulled out the power tools. The project—analyzing global temperatures and CO2 levels using both calculus and data science—needed space for multiple computers and notebooks: tables. But, the temporary outside classrooms only have chairs. So, Dr. Qalandar took the opportunity to do a “test run for the creativity and technology center” and have students make desks.
Dr. Q emphasized the life lessons gained with the building project: “Creating and building physical objects brings immediate highs and lows: you quickly learn to take failure in stride when your first prototype falls over, but there's always a meaningful ‘I created this!’ moment in the end. I love these moments for our students, the risk-taking moments of trying something new (and maybe slightly uncomfortable!), and seeing it come to life.”
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Dr. Q emphasized the life lessons gained with the building project: “Creating and building physical objects brings immediate highs and lows: you quickly learn to take failure in stride when your first prototype falls over, but there's always a meaningful ‘I created this!’ moment in the end. I love these moments for our students, the risk-taking moments of trying something new (and maybe slightly uncomfortable!), and seeing it come to life.”
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