On 15 June 2024, TEDxYouth@YCYWShanghai will commence at the Shanghai Children's Art Theatre. Alongside the thought-provoking presentations by students, the event will showcase the colourful project learning outcomes of YCYW students, including the YWIES Guangzhou Smart Farm programme mentioned in this article.

Let's delve deeper into what the students have learned from this programme through this article!

The four groups first conducted their research under the teachers’ guidance to tackle the challenges they faced. When they finally integrated their results, the automated system was successfully implemented.

The automated irrigation is just the first step; the prototype of the automated system completed by the students within the workshop holds the potential for additional functionalities in the future. For instance , fertilisers could be added during the irrigation when sensors detect deficiencies in trace elements. Similarly, supplementary lighting equipment could be activated through software programmes if the sensors detect insufficient light , and so on. All these potential upgrades symbolise new educational opportunities.

Through these workshops, the newly constructed Smart Farm showcased its potential for STEAM interdisciplinary teaching for the first time. STEAM education encompasses Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics, reflecting the concurrent development of children's logical-mathematical and artistic sensibilities. It blends rationality with emotionality, providing a holistic education experience.

These workshops exemplified a complete integration and comprehensive display of these five disciplines.

"People always ask, what does 'smart' represent in the context of this smart farm? In fact, 'smart' needs to be built step by step by the students. We deliberately avoided having all the equipment set up from the beginning, as having students merely observe wouldn't foster a learning process; it would be just passive reception, rather than active creation."

The automatic irrigation system for these tomato plants was set up by IG1 students within a span of two weeks through four brief workshops. Nearly all the students involved in the Smart Farm Workshop had no prior experience, especially in the programming tasks entrusted the software engineers.

How did they manage to go from “zero to one”?

Mr Hubert was in Guangzhou to oversee the group activities in the workshop. He explained the biggest challenge in the programming was to work within a natural coding environment, posing significant difficulty for IG1 students, both in writing and comprehension.

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To swiftly overcome this challenge, perhaps the first step is to consider a shift in mindset rather than attempting to learn programming independently, or one could promptly find a collaborator who understands programming— in these  cases, artificial intelligence can accomplish this task.

With the help of large language models like Chat-GPT, students can communicate their specifications to the AI, which then generates the code. They can transfer the code to a chip for a trial run and decide whether to refine the specifications based on the outcomes.

Mr Hubert found that the students at YWIES Guangzhou were adept at extrapolating from one example to another. As soon as he explained the connection of the first LED light in the main control box, the students had already replicated the process and completed the setup for two LED lights. Similarly, they independently managed the control of motors and the reading of soil moisture sensor data, among other tasks.

“Actually, with AI tools, we can teach students the logic of learning and questioning," Mr Hubert concluded. "For IG students, once they grasp the logic, they can apply the same method to find the answers they want.”

If programming involves constant “trial and error and adjustment,” then wouldn't building systems follow the same principle?

Just like their counterparts in the "Software Engineers" group, students serving as System Designers undergo numerous "reality checks". Lengthy pipes might cause the entire structure to collapse due to their weight, while shorter ones could result in inadequate watering of the tomatoes. Occasionally, unquestioningly relying on the blueprints may prove incorrect, yet at times, these blueprints "don't work" as expected due to misinterpretations.

When the project finally completed, the students all had strong feelings about it.

Kimi, who was responsible for building the system, reflected on his past experience with a whimsical device he had designed during a Science Week event. Despite winning an award, he now acknowledges its impracticality in hindsight due to a lack of consideration for implementation. This workshop served as a reminder that even the most confident ideas require the harsh reality of repeated feedback to be optimised and improved.

Kimi emphasised “In the future, combining imagination with practicality is essential to create real products.”

The groups who have gained specific insights from the workshop will have the opportunity to participate in the YCYW TEDx event in Shanghai in June, where they will showcase and introduce their innovative farm projects to the entire YCYW community of teachers and students.

However, the teachers notice the students' gradual but noticeable changes regardless of the outcome.

Mr Arlen, ICT teacher at YWIES Guangzhou remarked, "I've been noting the questions they raise, which reflects how their interest has grown stronger and stronger. From day one to the last day, they have been consistently exploring  topics vastly different from classroom teachings."

In addition to the workshops, the Smart farm will have more opportunities to integrate with other educational scenarios in the future, offering a richer learning experience.

The first initiative currently in progress is the concept of "a plot of land for every grade/class," which can be integrated with the education on the hard-working spirit from ECE to Primary and Secondary levels. ECE children can plant their favourite vegetables, fruits, and flowers in pots, gaining hands-on practice in planting, watering, and fertilising the plants.