Keva planks and Bloom build NGSS practices - Sophia Rowen

For bloom build I have noticed that guests engage in many of the science and engineering practices. Just by observation, I can tell that a guest is asking questions and defining problems (what are these and how can I build something out of them?), developing and using models (seeing a Spark, like me, building something and using my sculpture as a model for theirs), planning and carrying out investigations (building a sculpture), analyzing and interpreting data (stepping back and seeing what they have created and how it differs from other designs around them), constructing explanations and designing solutions (seeing what works and what doesn’t work, how they can make it stronger, what needs more reinforcement), engaging in argument from evidence (look at my design and use it to explain what worked for theirs), obtaining, evaluating and communicating information (successfully building a sculpture and talking to a Spark about it and how they came to build it). The only practice that I think isn’t purely observational is using mathematics and computational thinking. I think this would require intervention from a Spark, in which I would ask them if they encountered any problems in which they solved by adding or subtracting pieces. 

For keva blocks, I have personally witnessed people finding solutions for problems that arise with building archways and several other difficult designs. I find this method of building to be much for advanced in comparison to bloom build because a bloom build construction tends to result in a product that is much more abstract. Regardless, I can observe guests at keva blocks engaging in many of the science and engineering practices. With keva blocks I have noticed that guests often exceed their own expectations for themselves when building, because with minimal guidance, they are able to build things that they thought were once impossible. For example, to build an archway, guests would need to ask and define problems, develop and use models, plan and carry out investigations, analyze and interpret data, constructing explanations and designing solutions, engaging in argument from evidence, and obtaining, evaluating and communicating. 

            For bloom build and keva blocks, collaborating with someone is beneficial to the overall experience. I find that when guests have others around them building with keva blocks or with bloom build, they can use those as models and are able to improve upon their design. Building with more people also is helpful in bloom build because an extra set of hands is nice. Both exhibits involve the design falling down and toppling over at some point or other. I find that this is motivating for guests because they either want to push the limit and see how big they can go or they or anticipating the fall and this makes them want to build more.