Chapter Graphic
 : Trend Task: Egg Beater
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Approach: One to one Level: Year 4 and year 8
Focus:   Investigating and evaluating design
Resources: Egg beater
276kb

Questions/instructions:
Give student beater.
Here’s a tool that’s found in lots of homes. It’s an egg beater and it’s used to beat different kinds of foods.


% responses
2004 ('00)
y4
y8
1. Show me how the egg beater works.
not marked
•
•
Student demonstrates.
The egg beater is made up of many different parts. Each part works together with other parts to make the egg beater work.
2. Tell me what each part does. Point to each part as you talk about it.
3. Explain to me how it works — how the parts all help to make it work.
top handle – hold egg beater here
78 (67)
84 (72)
crank handle – makes beaters rotate
95 (86)
94 (91)
large cog – turns small cogs
73 (68)
84 (93)
small cogs – transmit rotation to beaters
61 (58)
79 (83)
beaters fit in bowl and beat food
67 (47)
73 (66)
bent rod at bottom supports beaters
10 (9)
18 (13)
folded metal surround – supports and gives operating clearance
12 (10)
28 (14)
Point to beaters.  
4. If you want these beaters to be able to spin around faster (not just by turning the handle faster) what changes would you make to the way the egg beater is made?
change gearing (general)
3 (6)
21 (20)
increase ratio of main cog teeth to small cog teeth
3 (0)
16 (21)
other workable idea, excluding electrical operation
12 (9)
17 (18)
converting to electrical operation
49 (33)
54 (53)
5. What materials is the egg beater made from?
Metal: stainless steel
7 (8)
34 (33)
steel / metal (general)
91 (87)
64 (67)
Plastic: mentions handles and cogs
9 (7)
9 (10)
mentions either handles or cogs
78 (77)
87 (88)
6. Why have these materials been used?
prompt:
 What is it about these materials that make them suitable for the egg beater?
Stainless steel: strong
56 (50)
62 (63)
easy to clean
6 (9)
22 (21)
durable/does not rust
12 (10)
35 (28)
Plastic handles: comfortable to hold
34 (36)
44 (44)
easy to clean
3 (6)
10 (8)
durable
4 (2)
7 (2)
Plastic cogs: durable
0 (0)
3 (2)
quiet
0 (0)
1 (1)
Total score: 14–22
0 (0)
7 (2)
12–13
4 (4)
19 (12)
10–11
18 (14)
29 (42)
8–9
35 (33)
28 (25)
6–7
29 (20)
14 (15)
0–5
14 (29)
3 (4)

Commentary
Predictably, students tended to focus on larger features rather than smaller details, and on less technical ideas about materials and mechanisms. About 30 percent more year 8 than year 4 students scored 10 or more. For year 4 students, there was a marked reduction of very low performance between 2000 and 2004, with little difference at higher performance levels. For year 8 students, there was an increase in high performance between 2000 and 2004, with little difference at low performance levels.
 
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