Students Discover How Things Work in Take-Apart Tuesday

And that’s just what they’ve been doing on Tuesday afternoons during Take-Apart Tuesday with Bruce Schwartz, director of the Osborn Idea & Design Lab, and Woodworking Teacher Mark Mortensen. 

“Taking something apart demystifies things in a way,” Schwartz said. “Students all love finding the circuit board that’s inside something. They are always amazed at how many parts it takes to make even the smallest item work.”

Schwartz and Mortensen virtually assist students with taking apart things they can find in their homes—with their parents’ permission, of course. Fifth- to eighth-grade students are exploring the mechanics of everything from cell phones and laptop computers to digital cameras and remote controls.

Schwartz was inspired to re-work his popular Make it, Shake it, Break It course, typically offered in person at Peck, into an optional virtual activity. While the on-campus course is usually restricted to students in Grades 7 and 8, Take-Apart Tuesday is open to the entire Upper School, allowing students in fifth and sixth grades to join in on the joy of deconstruction. 

“Students enjoy it and that’s the bottom line,” Schwartz said. “It fosters tremendous curiosity in addition to feeling empowered and confident.”

Take-Apart Tuesday is another manifestation of Peck’s Agency by Design (AbD) teaching framework. AbD guides students to look closely at what parts are there and then explore the complexity of how the individual parts work together. Then, students find opportunities in thinking about how they would redesign their items to make them more aesthetically pleasing, environmentally sustainable, or differently functional. 

The class has also provided another opportunity for students to socialize with their peers, something that is in short supply right now. 

“It’s high energy and high engagement,” Schwartz said. “This provides them another opportunity for the social connection that they are craving.”