Water polo goals
Clevedon School Group
Clevedon School
Years 7/8
Teacher: William Pike
A team of seven students saw the need for proper water polo goals for the school swimming pool, after noting that it was hard to referee a game with only cones marking the goals. Together they worked with professional engineer and Futureintech Ambassador Sean Milnes to develop a set of goals.
The group researched commercially produced goals, and then discussed how they could realistically adapt any of these ideas to create their own. Sean showed them how to use orthographic and isometric drawings to effectively communicate a 3D object on paper. These conceptual diagrams provided a good basis for the students to select an effective solution.
One end of the pool is deeper, which makes scoring a goal there more difficult. The students had to decide whether their priority was to meet the specifications of the water polo governing body or to just have fun. They agreed that fun was the ultimate aim and made one goal bigger, to adjust for the difficulty of playing in the deep end.
The team looked at suitable materials, keeping in mind cost, durability, product life-cycle and the possibility of future upgrades. After consultation with their teacher and the school caretaker, they decided to use plastic guttering.
Ice-block sticks were used to make a model of the goal which was then tested using model 'people' and balls. On 'build day' the caretaker assisted the group in constructing the real thing. The goal was tested in the pool, and the team concluded that it was successful and met their objectives.
This project was entered into the Transpower Neighbourhood Engineers Awards and won the team a merit award.
Student reflections
"It was a great experience. I liked the hands-on aspect, and also the thinking required of me" "It's fun designing the goals and finding the cheapest materials for construction; I learned to use measurement in a real context."
"It was a challenge building the goals. I enjoyed building because it was hands-on and we saw our plans come together"
"It was fun and interesting designing the goals as we had to get the measurements correct. Working in a group was good as everyone's ideas came together to make one thing."
"I enjoyed it because it was a real experience of what it will be like when I grow up."
Teacher comment
It was fantastic for the students to work with a professional and gave them a true perspective on the design process in a genuine context. Evaluation was of vital importance as adjustments to the plans were made to address the limitations of the available materials.
Engineer comment
The students properly 'scoped' the project, researching international standards and the constraints they needed to work around. Through this background work they thought through issues of form and function, which gave them a framework from which to hang their decisions.
RSS Feed
