There is a temptation to immediately launch into a project without investigation, without developing a knowledge base that informs the brainstorming section. Try to avoid this practice. Once an idea is decided upon from several possibilities, the student decides what materials and tools will be needed as well as how the design will be tested. This section requires students to think about how things work and is an important element in the MST design process. When students redesign their devices, as most often occurs, they realize misconceptions they had, factors they may have overlooked. Important science understandings occur here.
MSTe is a Teacher Enhancement Project funded by the National Science Foundation (Grant #ESI-9618962).