Initially developed for industrial purposes, stereolithography – today better known as 3D printing – has come a long way in its 35 years of history. It’s no longer uncommon to find this technology across a broad array of applications. Whether in the hospital, the manufacturing plant, or in the classroom, 3D printing is a versatile and accessible technology.

3D printing has slowly become both more sophisticated and more affordable, leading more and more people to invest in a 3D printer for a dazzling variety of purposes. However, one area where 3D printing offers profound and salient advantages lies in the potential it has to revolutionize modern education. Here’s how this remarkable technology is changing learning and why every school needs 3D printing in the classroom.

3 Reasons Why Every School Needs 3D Printing in the Classroom

3D printing is a type of print technology which creates a three-dimensional object using polymers such as plastic or resin. The most common types of 3D printers create an object by adding layer upon layer of material in specific orientations according to a computer-aided design model. Due to this process, 3D printers are capable of creating highly detailed and particular objects with utter precision. When utilized in the classroom, 3D printing:

1. Encourages Critical Thinking in Students

The ability to create any object imaginable through a computer program and a printer promotes critical thinking in several ways. With a CAD model, a student gains a new way to think through a problem, recognize and appraise a solution, then test it. Likewise, the process of conceptualizing, designing, and finally manufacturing an item encourages students to approach problems systematically – thinking through the entire process consistently. Some projects which take advantage of the way 3D printing promotes critical thinking include:

  • Building maps, models, or systems with individually printed pieces
  • Scaling life-size objects to sizes the printer can accommodate
  • Projects which examine the components of graphic or art design

Notably, research has shown that 3D printing helps students spot patterns and connections, cause and effect relationships, and errors in reasoning. These are skills which will serve them both in other classrooms and later in their careers.

2. Empowers Instructors to Create New Ways to Learn

As the world races towards ever greater technological sophistication, educational institutions may find themselves struggling to evolve at a similar pace – even outright resisting it. However, technology offers many excellent learning opportunities in the classroom, and 3D printing has proven particularly effective at engendering new ways for students to connect with knowledge.

As early as 2014, education researchers have pointed to 3D printing as one of the most influential pieces of technology available for teaching in special education. Why? A 3D printer in the classroom unlocks the ability of an instructor to create the specific tools he or she needs for a lesson – even conceptualize items or devices which don’t yet exist. As such, instructors can create precisely the items which will best serve their students without having to spend hours searching for an item or convincing the department to grant them the budget for it.

Similar studies have also been carried out with classrooms oriented towards visually-impaired students, where 3D printers serve as accessibility devices for such students. When equipped with a 3D printer in the classroom, an instructor can effortlessly reproduce items at different scales to assist students with their lessons.

3D printing for schools, therefore, is a means for instructors to increase the reach and effectiveness of their experiences by creating objects and models specifically tailored to their students. With one in the classroom, both students and teachers gain new ways to connect with the lesson.

3. Inspires Engagement and Participation for Everyone

Having trouble getting elementary students interested in STEM? 3D printing may be able to help – especially if those students fall outside the most common demographics often found in science classes.

With its accessibility and the ease at which imagined concepts can be turned into tangible artifacts, 3D printing taps into what’s known as the maker culture. It’s a technology-based DIY subculture which encompasses things like computer building and amateur science equipment. When applied in the classroom, it gets students excited – inspiring engagement and participation – because it makes creation possible.

This empowerment has the potential to alter a student’s career trajectory. Consider this 2017 study which found that, when it comes to learning, 3D printing can inspire engagement and participation in sciences for elementary students by making the subject matter more accessible, more tangible, and more exciting.

Start 3D Printing in the Classroom Today

In the classroom, 3D printing has already proven to be an effective, powerful agent of learning and engagement for students and teachers alike. From special needs to STEM, it’s changing the way students interact with lessons, and teachers think about education – taking both to new and innovative new heights.

Get 3D printers and more with AISink. Contact us today to begin selecting the best model for your classroom.