Teacher, robot inspire Neil Bruce students
With a hover disc, robotic hand and a two-metre tall robot named Photon, Constable Neil Bruce Middle School teacher Dan Massey might just have the coolest classroom ever.
Massey was named last week as one of winners of the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence in STEM, science, technology, engineering and math.
He is one of two B.C. teachers recognized among 15 outstanding science, technology, engineering and mathematics teachers across Canada who help develop the culture of innovation.
“Ever since I can remember, I’ve always built things, tinkered with things, made robots,” said Massey, who has taught math and science over his 31-year career.
Massey challenged himself in his Ànal year before retirement by creating a maker course for Grade 7 and 8 students.
“A maker is somebody that makes things,” said Massey. “He takes things apart, tinkers with things, invents things and sees a different way of solving problems than traditional methods.”
As a maker, Massey wanted to share his passion with his students, so he spent last summer at school and at home building the maker course, creating lessons and projects.
Massey wanted to show students through the maker course they could incorporate all the subjects they are learning in school and make practical use of them.
Massey started the kids building three-dimensional paper models called cubies so they could learn how a Áat shape becomes three-dimensional and create their own 3D objects.
Students then moved into 3D printing where Massey encouraged them to learn to use the software and create their own designs from scratch rather than pulling things off the Internet.
Thanks to Dayna Hart, the school’s teacher-librarian, the school has six 3D printers.
“Without her, this course wouldn’t exist,” said Massey.
After completing a couple of 3D projects, students could design whatever they wanted and could enter Massey’s contest to create a 3D-printed item to solve a real-world problem and help people.
“My philosophy in teaching is every kid can see success here,” said Massey. “They can choose their difÀculty level and challenge themselves.”
To expose the students to more technology, Massey introduced them to die cutters, so they could design and create intricate cards out of card stock, custom vinyl decals for a vehicle or window and custom T-shirts.
Students also learned about arduinos, microprocessors they could program to be anything from a door alarm to a Àngerprint scanner to an LED light system.
The maker course teaches students new technology and shows what they might end up doing as a career one day.
Massey also runs an enrichment program in which students compete at Robocup as well as the spaghetti bridge building competition.
Massey uses the projects he has created such as the hover disc, which makes cool sound effects and lights up as he rides it around the classroom, to inspire students and get them excited.
The hover disc and Photon show students how artistic skills can be applied along with math, coding, electronics and mechanical engineering.
Once he is retired, Massey will spend time in his maker room at home creating whatever strikes his fancy from robots to an electric quad. The kids love being in Massey’s classroom. Massey said they don’t want to leave the room, they want to come in over lunch and ask if they can come in the morning before school, something he didn’t usually have happen with math or science.
“That’s what tells you it’s successful,” he said.