Block 6: Scenario Choice + Iteration
You've seen the Tōhoku scenario. Today you'll see the Anatolian and Merapi demos before choosing your own.
Task: Predict: which of the three is hardest to defend a city against, and why?
Answer in your Field Notebook, dated.
I have my portfolio scenario locked AND Iteration #1 complete, with a predict-before-run entry and an after-run reflection in my journal.
I can break a big engineering problem into pieces I can actually solve.
"Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering."
Where this runs:
- U3 B6: Scenario Choice + Iteration ← you are here
- U3 B7: Cross-Scenario Discussion + Iteration
Assessed:
Engineering Design Portfolio: iterations 1–3 (T/T)
On track looks like:
Each iteration attacks a named sub-problem, and your Division-of-Labour Plan shows the breakdown.
I can use a simulation to test how my design choices play out before committing to them.
"Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem."
Where this runs:
- U3 B4: Whole-Class Sim + First Independent Attempt
- U3 B6: Scenario Choice + Iteration ← you are here
- U3 B7: Cross-Scenario Discussion + Iteration
- U3 B9: Iteration
Assessed:
Engineering Design Portfolio: logged sim iterations (T/T)
On track looks like:
Each iteration is tested in the simulator and its outputs cited as evidence: changed, run, compared.
I can break a task into steps and say which ones I will do, which AI will do, and why.
In brief: "Decompose a problem to determine when and how AI systems should be used to automate or augment tasks (paraphrased; full framework at ailiteracyframework.org)"
Where this runs:
- U3 B6: Scenario Choice + Iteration ← you are here
- U4 B10: Climate Brief Work Day + Worked-Example Brief + Peer Feedback
Assessed:
U3 Block 6 rehearsal; U4 Climate Brief plan; assessed with the U5 Position Paper division-of-labour plan plus a post-hoc check against what actually happened
On track looks like:
Your plan names a step you kept for yourself and says why AI was the wrong tool for it, not just which steps you handed over.
This block is a Phase 6 stub
Full content lands when Unit 3 is built out further.
Block 6 opens with Anatolian and Merapi sim demos, then students lock their Engineering Portfolio scenario (matched where possible to their Hazard Profile city) and run Iteration Attempt #1 in the Tectonic City Builder. Predict-before-run journal scaffold required (in the U3 Student Scaffolds packet, distributed via Classroom).
Engineers split problems before they solve them. Today you'll also decide which pieces get AI help, and defend the split.
Open your Class Notebook and type today's entry header as Heading 2:
A: Dec 2 | U3 B6 | Scenario Choice + IterationB: Dec 3 | U3 B6 | Scenario Choice + Iteration
What you're submitting today
Before you build: break your scenario's engineering problem into steps, and mark each step: AI-assisted (which partner, doing what) or yours alone (and why). One page, template in Classroom. This plan gets checked against what actually happened when the iteration ends. Honest planning beats impressive planning.
Submit via Google Classroom (link posted in August)