Problem-Solvers: Project Ideas
In this post-field trip project, students take a deeper dive into real-world challenges, apply their knowledge to skill-building scenarios, and see firsthand how they can have a positive impact on the world.
Choose a core subject area to explore problem-solving project ideas for your students.
You can download and print this Design Thinking worksheet
to help your students organise their work!
to help your students organise their work!
Problem-Solvers: Language Arts
Issue #1: Human doctor vs. AI doctor
Imagine you’re a journalist, 20 years in the future. Interview a human doctor—and an AI one. How does each one work with patients? What are their strengths? What are their limits? Compare and contrast how they work. In groups of three, students can choose a role and film the interview, present it live to the class, or write a newspaper article.
Imagine you’re a journalist, 20 years in the future. Interview a human doctor—and an AI one. How does each one work with patients? What are their strengths? What are their limits? Compare and contrast how they work. In groups of three, students can choose a role and film the interview, present it live to the class, or write a newspaper article.
Issue #2: AI in health care
Create a poster or infographic illustrating one AI tool used in health care today. Label and caption each part of the tool in order to explain its function to the general public. Draft a list of five questions that you think someone would have about this tool and convey the answers in your poster.
Create a poster or infographic illustrating one AI tool used in health care today. Label and caption each part of the tool in order to explain its function to the general public. Draft a list of five questions that you think someone would have about this tool and convey the answers in your poster.
Problem-Solvers: Mathematics
Issue #1: The power of patterns
Use a simple dataset showing things like exercise vs. heart health or sleep vs. stress. Plot scatterplots and calculate lines of best fit. Discuss how AI uses similar math to find health patterns and predict future outcomes.
Use a simple dataset showing things like exercise vs. heart health or sleep vs. stress. Plot scatterplots and calculate lines of best fit. Discuss how AI uses similar math to find health patterns and predict future outcomes.
Issue #2: Fitness challenge
Have students track one or more fitness metrics over the course of a week or more (steps, water intake, hours of sleep). Either individually, or by compiling data as a class, calculate daily averages. Predict future activity patterns and health outcomes if the current trend continues. Discuss how fitness AI apps use math to give recommendations.
Have students track one or more fitness metrics over the course of a week or more (steps, water intake, hours of sleep). Either individually, or by compiling data as a class, calculate daily averages. Predict future activity patterns and health outcomes if the current trend continues. Discuss how fitness AI apps use math to give recommendations.
Problem-Solvers: Science & Technology
Issue #1: Diagnostic challenge
Research common—and not so common— illnesses and create “mystery patient” cards, listing three to five symptoms of each illness. Exchange cards with a partner and try to diagnose each mystery patient. Then, ask Copilot of ChatGPT to diagnose (for educational purposes only) the mystery patient based on the symptoms. Compare your answers and reasoning with those of AI.
Research common—and not so common— illnesses and create “mystery patient” cards, listing three to five symptoms of each illness. Exchange cards with a partner and try to diagnose each mystery patient. Then, ask Copilot of ChatGPT to diagnose (for educational purposes only) the mystery patient based on the symptoms. Compare your answers and reasoning with those of AI.
Issue #2: Your genes, your future
Your genes, your future
Students build a family tree with traits (like eye colour, cleft chins or dimples) and use Punnett squares to predict outcomes. Do you think AI could use data sets like these to predict disease? Which diseases? How large would the data sets need to be?
Your genes, your future
Students build a family tree with traits (like eye colour, cleft chins or dimples) and use Punnett squares to predict outcomes. Do you think AI could use data sets like these to predict disease? Which diseases? How large would the data sets need to be?