Today We are going to talk about a really great article I read in the January issue of The Science Teacher called "Don't Short Circuit Stem Instruction" by Crystal Bruxvoort and James Jadrich, and its all about making the light bulbs go off.
Students are sorted into small groups and given two wires, a light bulb, and a battery. They are then told to try to light the light bulb. What is interesting about this is that even most students who have a good idea of how electricity works will have some trial and error before finding a working solution.
Now after students have been able to tinker with the configuration most should have gotten the light bulb to light in some way or another. Here is where the meaningful conversation starts.
In leading a classroom discussion and asking questions such as "How" and "Why did you think the light bulb would light in doing so?" you will start to see how most if not all of the students simply experimented with different configurations until the light bulb light. This is where students can be shown how part of the nature of scientific and engineering findings have been found through trial and error.
After this where you take the lesson is up to you, even if you aren't teaching a lesson on electricity this is a great way to enter into the wonderful world of scientific discovery with your students. This experiment is an awesome way to continue to foster creativity in students through STEM methods.