Legacy’s Mechanical Engineering Enrichment  Builds More than 3D Printers

How do you teach classical engineering to seventh and eighth graders – without losing their interest or “dumbing down” concepts? You put them in safety glasses, hand them tools they’ve never seen and show them how to build a 3D printer from scratch. 
Legacy enrichment teacher Jerry Johnson – a tech entrepreneur with a passion for education – turns the theoretical into the practical. “In our Mechanical Engineering classes, students are attaching bolts and fasteners; using a T-square; evaluating adhesion properties; loading software; observing the relationship between torque and speed; testing pulleys, belts and gears; studying motion with motors and so much more. We’re engaging in various forms of engineering – from electrical to mechanical and beyond – all while building a personal 3D printer that has high functionality.”
The course – one of Legacy’s star STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) curriculum, enrichment and programming elements – builds more than a state-of-the-art printer. “Students are refining their problem-solving skills at every turn in our STEAM coursework,” explains Head of School Matt Millett. “Learners might build – and then take apart – a portion of their project a dozen times, working to identify misalignments, missing parts or other issues. This doesn’t just teach engineering – it teaches patience with the process and resilience while also growing students’ confidence and excitement for learning.”
“With hands-on education, coupled with Legacy’s small class size, LCA’s learners are able to deeply explore concepts and applications that are usually not introduced until the high school or college level. On any given day, they’re directly engaging with theories they can observe up close in real time, in real life,” says Millett. 
For more information please give Legacy Christian Academy a call, 257-7377