Paper Towers: Building students' understandings of technological design.

The article presents a classroom activity called "Paper Towers" that is ideal for middle school students. They are instructed to build a paper tower as tall as possible that will resist being blown over by the teacher from one arm's length away. The activity aimed to provide students with several learning goals, both cognitive and affective, such as the ability to identify appropriate problems for technological design, design a solution or product, and evaluate the completed design. Moreover, it helps the students develop a comprehensive understanding of the applications of science and technology.