NATURAL SCIENCE PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING THROUGH PUPIL PROJECT-DRIVEN SENSOR ENVIRONMENT

This paper proposes an approach to teach pupils a variety of topics by introducing a do-it-yourself system which analyses the environmental conditions by measuring several different physical characteristics in the classroom, e.g. air quality, temperature or loudness level. Based on that, problem-based learning can be integrated into and established in a variety of subjects, by covering and letting the pupils experience practical data evaluation and statistics (mathematics), chemical compositions, natural processes, measurement methods and impact on health (natural sciences), among others. On top of that, there are the information technology topics needed to establish the system, such as programming concepts and sensor functionalities to more advanced themes like creating a network of embedded devices and connecting it to an existing IT infrastructure. To increase the pupils’ interest and motivation, gamification methods can be introduced into certain tasks of the project, like having a competition who makes the best alarm system for low O2 saturation. Additionally, the classroom’s indoor climate can be optimised in the long-term by such tasks to create the best learning and working conditions for both pupils and teachers.

The first workshops, where the pupils have set up the technical infrastructure and programmed a basic alarm system for the air quality, have been completed. In the next step, curricula with tasks for the specific lessons must be designed and implemented. Last step will be getting feedback to evaluate the learning outcomes and the pupils’ involvement.