My students need welding supplies including tinners, hack saws, and welding rods so they can practice and meet the learning objectives for our metal class.
Our tech program has one primary mission: to get students as much skill and career exposure as possible, in as many different trade and design fields as possible. We build many things like tool boxes, catapults, human powered vehicles, air cannons, jack stands, sundials and MUCH more every year.
My students are very hands-on learners.
Many are enrolled in these classes because they are seriously considering pursuing a career in the welding, metalworking, or engineering fields. My students are essentially the demographic that all state and federal initiatives are currently calling out. They are predominantly from low socioeconomic backgrounds or otherwise at-risk students. This program works so well for many of them because it gives them a first real taste of success and reduces the feeling of hopelessness which motivates them to keep trying in the other academic courses. They see they can do this, and they start to focus and try more. They apply those concepts into producing something and pick up job/life skills on the way. It is very satisfying observing the student success.
My Project
My students need welding supplies including tinners, hack saws, and welding rods so they can practice and meet the learning objectives for our metal class. Students will practice welding with SMAW welders using the 6013 rod. This will satisfy one major learning objective for the college Introduction to Welding course. Jig saws, hack saws and tin snips will allow students to hand fabricate various prototypes in the Pre-Engineering courses. They will experience the problem solving design process firsthand by identifying a problem, researching possible solutions, drafting a concept drawing, fabricating a working prototype, producing a scale schematic, and then presenting their idea and prototype to the class. This model (and these tools) will be utilized with many design projects to build catapults, sundials, wind turbines, solar cars, mail boxes, human powered vehicles, air cannons, and many more design projects.
Having these tools and supplies will take a great worry off students and their parents.
They will have the opportunity to get the hours of practice they need to successfully hone these skills and approach a semi-professional level by the time they graduate high school.
Welding is a multi-process, multi-technique encompassing job that literally eats up tons of supplies. The kids need the proper amount of consumables to be able to get the practice in. We have 140 kids doing this every year.
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