When Agricultural Educator Katie Christiansen looked for a way to make electrical wiring meaningful for her students, she knew real-world application was key. That’s why Christiansen implemented Realityworks’ Trailer Circuits STEM Kit.
“Prior to this, we did very traditional house wiring boards,” said Christiansen, whose introductory ag courses cover welding, greenhouse management, animal and plant science, electrical wiring and more. “But I thought this would be another application that would make sense to my rural kids — many of them drive trucks.”
Katie Christiansen | 7th-12th Grade Teacher | Salmon High School | Idaho
Christiansen teaches 7th-12th graders at Salmon High School in Idaho. Because her courses are not required but rather chosen by students, student recruitment is vital.
“My classes are electives, so student engagement is huge,” stated Christiansen. “Students were excited to see a hands-on simulator that they could manipulate and problem solve with. They jumped right in, using the tools to cut and attach wires and push buttons to see if they could get lights to work.”
A More Equitable Way to Teach Electrical Wiring
Before implementing Realityworks’ Trailer Circuits STEM Kit, Christiansen used traditional house wiring boards with single- and two-way switches that students could wire to turn on light bulbs. But limited equipment meant limited opportunities for every student to get enough hands-on practice. Additionally, students’ varying experience with electrical wiring made it difficult to differentiate instruction.
In contrast, Christiansen found that Realityworks’ Trailer Circuits STEM Kits made it easy to teach electrical wiring in small groups, with some students working independently with the included workbooks and presentation slides while others practiced wiring with the kit components.
“It’s so nice to have multiple kits for multiple groups… I can separate them and support them differently,” said Christiansen. “It makes the learning opportunities more equitable.”
Meet the Trailer Circuits STEM Kit
Realityworks’ Trailer Circuits STEM Kit offers a safe, hands-on way to learn about electricity and wiring. It includes three Trailer Circuits Trucks that imitate real-world rigs, with working brakes, lights, and more.
Students can wire real four- and seven-way trailer harnesses using crimpers, screw drivers, splice and butt connectors, crimp terminals and color-matched spools of wire — giving them real-world practice designing, building and testing electrical circuits.
With an included Auto Light Tester and Multimeter to help students troubleshoot wiring issues, this interactive STEM kit lets users tackle real-world trailer wiring issues and simulate real-world fixes.
A Flexible Setup for Any Classroom
Because the Trailer Circuits STEM Kit includes both lab activities and workbooks, Christiansen’s students could work at their own pace.
The students who were less familiar with the material got targeted help from Christiansen while the students who knew more about what they were doing followed the included presentation slides.
“The PowerPoint is detailed enough that experienced students could move ahead at their own pace,” said Christiansen.
“It’s not uncommon for parents to email me later to tell me they had great conversations about what their child experienced,” said Ward. “Not only are the kids learning a new perspective, but it sparks genuine and important conversations at home.”
How Christiansen Structured the Learning
Christiansen has three Trailer Circuits STEM Kits in her classroom. Although two students per kit is ideal, she’s had success using a single kit with up to four students at a time.
According to Christiansen, small group rotation is ideal, with one student following the PowerPoint, one student cutting and stripping wires and one student adding connectors.
“For groups that had successfully wired the simulator, [I] went through problem solving scenarios with them. For other groups, just more work time,” stated Christiansen.
Seeing Student Growth in Real Time
Christiansen’s introductory agriculture courses are designed to be exploratory, so she measures student success by observing students’ engagement levels, growth during labs, and progress through the workbook and activities.
“With this, I can absolutely see growth,” said Christiansen. “They’re actually making progress through the activities in the workbook.”
According to Christiansen, the workbooks in particular are extremely helpful when capturing student thinking because it allows them to hand-write their observations.
“I think it’s really important for students to hand-write things, so I liked that the workbook gave them a place to do that,” said Christiansen.
Adding to Teachers’ Arsenal of Tools
Students got a chance to learn how exactly their vehicles worked on the inside. They could take something they were learning in class and use it in their everyday lives right away.
“There was excitement and immediate engagement,” said Christiansen.
“[The Trailer Circuits STEM Kit] refreshed my knowledge of trailer wiring. It allowed me to see different ways to teach the topic,” said Christiansen.
Christiansen will continue to use Realityworks’ Trailer Circuits STEM Kit for her future classes to bring electrical lessons to life.
“It’s been a really great addition to my arsenal of tools,” stated Christiansen. “It adds one more quality experience to the classes I’m teaching.”
Learning tools used:
Trailer Circuits STEM Kit
The Trailer Circuits STEM Kit is the ideal solution for educators who want to make learning electricity engaging, tangible, and safe.
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