A Lesson in Cooperative Problem Solving

Can you make a bridge between two chairs using nothing but paper? 

After experimenting with different ways to tear, fold, and connect sheets of paper we accepted the challenge.  Using nothing but sheets of 8 ½” X 11” paper we built bridges joining two chairs across a 12” span.

Student teams had to decide what type of bridge to build, what techniques they would use, and how to divide the labor.

Some solutions were elegantly simple.  Some were artistic and complex.  Some bridges were strength tested.

Throughout the process we shared structural problems, techniques, and solutions.  Our written descriptions documented our strategies and process.  Pictures preserved our ephemeral designs.