At SIPC International School, Project-Based Learning is not an optional extra; it is one of the everyday ways we connect classroom learning with the real world. We invite you to begin by watching this short film about the Grade 7 ORION Solar-Powered Car Project — a student-led innovation journey that began from scratch. Focusing on future mobility and clean energy, students used data, models and storytelling to turn an idea into a real project that could be tested, presented and continuously improved.
在SIPC国际学校，项目式学习不是课堂里的加分选项，而是连接学生与真实世界的日常方式。我们邀请您先观看这支关于7年级太阳能汽车项目的短片——这是一次从零开始的学生创新旅程：围绕未来出行与清洁能源，学生用数据、模型与故事，把一个想法变成可以被测试、被展示、也被不断迭代的真实作品。
从一张空白纸到明确命题
From a Blank Page to a Clear Challenge
The ORION project began with a simple but meaningful reflection on everyday transport: Even in a city with many new energy vehicles, we still need to ask whether our daily journeys rely too heavily on high‑carbon, price‑sensitive energy, instead of fully unlocking the potential of truly clean power. If urban commuting could draw more directly on renewable sources such as solar power — rather than relying entirely on charging stations and the grid — could the family car be redesigned in both form and everyday use? Guided by this question, students developed ORION as a smart solar transportation concept built around three key ideas: solar power, sustainability and intelligent design. Their aim was to reduce long-term running costs while making driving cleaner, more reliable and better suited to the future.
ORION 项目的出发点，是对日常出行方式的反思：
我们的日常出行是否依旧过度依赖高碳、价格波动大的能源形态，而没有真正把清洁能源的优势发挥出来？
如果城市通勤可以在更大程度上直接利用太阳能等可再生能源，而不是完全依赖充电桩和电网补能，那么家庭汽车的形态和使用方式是否可以被重新设计？
学生以此问题为核心，将项目定位为智慧光能交通——强调太阳能、绿色、智能的太阳能出行方案，希望在控制长期使用成本的前提下，让驾驶更环保、更可靠。
设计决策与多轮迭代
From Data to Design
To make their ideas more realistic, students first designed a short survey and carried it out on campus, asking teachers, classmates and staff about their daily driving habits. They collected information about when people drive, how far they usually travel, and what concerns them most on the road. The results showed that many respondents need to drive both during the day and at night, and that travel distances vary widely from short commutes to longer journeys. This helped students realise that the vehicle would need daytime solar charging, a reliable backup power source for night use, and enough range to serve different kinds of travel.
为了让设想更贴近真实世界，学生首先在校园内设计并开展了简短问卷调查，向老师、同学和校内员工了解他们的日常用车习惯。 他们收集了不同人群在什么时间段开车、通常行驶多远，以及在出行中最关心哪些问题。 结果显示，许多受访者在白天和夜晚都需要用车，且行驶距离从短途通勤到长途出行差异明显。 这让学生意识到，车辆必须具备白天依靠太阳能充能的能力、夜间可依赖的备用电源，以及覆盖不同出行需求的续航表现。
With these questions in mind, students then stepped beyond the classroom and visited a local car showroom to observe real vehicles more closely. By looking at car roofs, wheels, tail lights and body shapes, they began to think more concretely about where solar panels, energy storage systems and regenerative braking functions could be placed in an actual design. Together, the survey data and field observations directly informed their key design decisions, including a larger and more efficient battery system, stronger long-range performance, and a more practical overall structure.
带着这些问题，学生随后走出课堂，前往校外汽车4S店观察真实车辆。 他们通过观察车顶、轮胎、尾灯和车身结构，开始更具体地思考：太阳能板、储能系统和再生制动等功能，在真实汽车中可以如何布局。 问卷数据与实地调研相互印证，最终直接推动了几项关键设计决策，包括采用更大、更高效的电池系统、强化长续航能力，以及形成更具实用性的整体结构。
Every roadshow became an important stage of improvement. Students had to explain their thinking to classmates and teachers, respond to questions and suggestions, and then apply this feedback to their boards, sketches and design plans. Through several rounds of revision, the project gradually moved from an early concept towards a clearer, more practical and more convincing design.
每一次路演，都是一次迭代节点：学生要不断向同伴和老师解释自己的逻辑，接收质询和建议，再将反馈写回看板与草图。项目由此经历了多个版本更新，从早期概念逐渐收敛到更具可行性的设计方向。
动手搭建的深度学习
Beyond Slides
In SIPC’s Project-Based Learning curriculum, design does not stop at PowerPoint presentations or written reports. During the ORION project, students built two generations of solar-powered car models, improving their work step by step from a simple cardboard prototype to a lightweight carbon-fiber model. The roof included a planned space for solar panels; the body was designed with weight reduction in mind; the wheels used an anti-slip structure; and the frame included reserved space for electric drive motors. Through this hands-on process, abstract engineering ideas became something students could touch, adjust and test for themselves.
在 SIPC 项目式学习课程里，设计绝非仅停留在 PPT 演示与书面报告层面。ORION 项目中，学生先后打造两代太阳能实车模型：从简易纸板原型迭代至轻量化碳纤维成品，全程持续优化打磨。车顶预设太阳能电池板安装位，车身以轻量化为核心设计准则，车轮采用防滑结构，车体预留专属空间安置电驱电机。整套实操流程，将抽象晦涩的工程理论转化为可亲手触摸、桌面实操的实体造物。
Reflection was just as important as construction. Students added notes around the model to identify their next improvements, such as cleaner cutting, clearer labelling and stronger structural support. In this way, the model became a living learning product that could continue to develop over time, rather than a one-time assignment.
同样重要的是反思：学生会在模型的边缘标注“下一步改进”，例如切割精度、标签信息的完整度、结构的稳定性，让模型成为一个可以持续被升级的学习载体，而不是一次性的作业成果。
The ORION project shows how SIPC’s middle school Project-Based Learning curriculum works in practice. Students begin with authentic real-world problems, developing the ability to think independently about complex issues. They use data and field research to support their decisions, learning to rely on evidence rather than intuition alone. Through roadshows and public presentations, they strengthen their communication skills and refine their ideas through open questioning and feedback. Through model-making and cost analysis, they connect technological imagination with the realities of family life and society. Projects like ORION not only strengthen students’ applied abilities in science, mathematics and language; they also help students grow in teamwork, critical thinking and global awareness. These are the skills and mindsets that prepare them for diverse future pathways, international learning opportunities and the challenges of a rapidly changing world.
通过 ORION 项目，可以看到 SIPC 在初中阶段的项目式课程如何运作：以真实问题为起点，培养学生在复杂议题下的独立思考能力；用数据与实地调研支撑决策，让学生习惯用证据而非直觉做判断；通过路演与展示训练沟通能力，让观点在公开表达中不断被打磨；借助模型与成本分析让科技想象与家庭与社会现实相连接。这类项目不仅提升了学生在科学、数学、语言等学科上的应用能力，也让他们在团队协作、批判性思维和全球视野方面获得真实的成长——为未来面向多元升学路径和国际化发展打下基础。
