Project Introduction
In this project studio, students explored the impact of the bike as a groundbreaking invention, a sustainable source of transportation, a road to healthy living, and a means for connecting with the outdoors. They then got hands-on experience with the basics of bike mechanics and maintenance, learning how to clean frames, change tires, adjust seats and handlebars, align brakes, and more. The final piece in the this project was technical writing. Students studied writing examples from professionals in the cycling world to identify what makes a strong article or clear instruction manual, then practiced writing their own. All of these skills came together when students created a community guide to help others maintain and enjoy their bikes.
Grade Level
High School (9-12)
Content Area(s)
English
Graduation Expectation
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: Demonstrate curiosity and inquiry.
Instructors
Alexandra Modica
Artifacts
Presentations
During the first four weeks of class, students learned about the history of the bicycle, from the very first Draisine to the modern mountain bike, using critical thinking skills to break down the logical behind each successive innovation. Students were then asked to research a bike-related topic of their own interest and present their findings to the class. Topics ranged from dream bike packing trips to how suspension works to the gender inequalities present in cycling races.
Bikes
Students were given a used bike to work on that had been collected from the community. Some of the bikes were in pretty rough shape, but everyone started in the same place: learning to check tires and replace tubes. Next everyone got the chance to get their drivetrain running well. From there, everyone went their separate ways and fixed what was individually wrong with their bikes. This hands-on portion of the class fostered critical thinking skills as students learned to recognize a bike’s problems, troubleshoot possible causes, and find solutions.
Students who were in need of bikes were able to keep their bikes. Students who already had bikes donated their fixed-up rides to Cabot’s Ride the Ridges program to allow future riders access to the event, regardless of whether they have a bike.
Website
The culminating portion of this project studio was to create a website using all of the knowledge and skills gained throughout the class. The goal of the website was to educate the public about the history, benefits, and maintenance of bikes. After brainstorming article topics and grouping them into sections, students worked together to plan their articles and ensure interconnectivity without overlap.
As students wrote, they looked for media to enhance their articles and learned to incorporate and cite research. Learning also included spelling and grammar skills as well as writing for a particular audience and communicating complex concepts in easy-to-understand language.
Student Reflections
I am proud of the bike that I got to work on. I had never had a bike with that many problems to just poke around at and fix. It was really satisfying to make a bike that was on the verge of junk work again.
This entire class was based on curiosity-we got to choose our own topics that were the most interesting to us, explore them deeper, and explain our new knowledge to classmates. The learning experience for the bike maintenance was also very personalized. We all fixed a bike to the best of our abilities and came out with some amazing products, learning new skills along the way. The topics I found the most interesting often surrounded feminism and its connection to cycling. I liked this topic because it seemed like such an unlikely connection, and yet, there were many sources, a bunch of fun history facts, and the topic fit nicely in with the rest of the history article crew.