Harlingen High School building trades instructor Guillermo Carriaga wanted to give his students a project they could relate to. At the same time, he wanted to integrate math and science into the lesson.
“The skateboard was perfect,” said Carriaga, who had his class design custom skateboards for the project.
The physics behind skateboarding make it a worthwhile lesson for design. At the same time, Carriaga’s students were ecstatic to have the opportunity to build something they could enjoy outside of class.
“Some of the students who had no interest in skateboards have now started riding because of this project,” Carriaga said. “That is also good because it focuses their attention on something positive other than just playing video games at home or something they should not be doing.”
Carriaga has seen increasing numbers in his class for next year, he said. He hopes to continue to provide cross-disciplinary projects that engage students in his classroom, such as solar panels or wind turbines.
