A mechanism is an ultimate example of collaboration “a system of parts working together in a machine; a piece of machinery” (Oxford Languages). Power within the system may be distributed unevenly, as evidenced by the term ‘the big wheel’. The nuts and bolts of it are that mechanisms have traditionally been purposefully constructed, to make our lives easier and more efficient, to solve problems. Hand in hand with purpose is another human motivating driver, our desire for entertainment and the fantastical.
Rube Goldberg was a cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor born in the U.S. in 1883 and is best remembered for “Rube Goldberg Machines©” where a simple task is performed by a complex machine. Nowadays his name is synonymous with Rube Goldberg Machines©, which are made up of mechanisms and require novel thinking to solve a problem. This is an engrossing collaborative STEAM project for students of all ages. (If you are old enough to remember the game Mousetrap©, that was a Rube Goldberg Machine©. More recently they have been featured in music videos and advertisements for cars.) Making a Rube Goldberg Machine© takes collaboration as students need to work together to experiment with timing, weight, speed and mechanisms, and motion.
Rube Goldberg’s Machine© for taking a selfie starts with a toe moving a string, which raises a hook releasing a string. Each step of the process triggers the next and is integral to the whole. This is an excellent analogy for students to understand the power of collaboration as an essential life skill, especially those students who prefer to work on their own. Creating a Rube Goldberg Machine© requires extensive experimenting and testing. We can consider some of the simple mechanisms you might find in a Rube Goldberg Machine© such as wheels and axles and think of these as strategies to support problem-solving skills.
A wheel and axle reduce friction when moving something. In the same way, being able to hear others’ opinions and being open-minded while collaborating, ‘greases the wheels’ and makes the work process much smoother. A wedge is another type of mechanism; it can separate objects like a force applied to its broad surface area is amplified. We can compare this to the way in which working on a project collaboratively to find solutions, can bring the power of collective and diverse thinking to bear on a single issue.
Ethical dilemmas can also be…
