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Integrating Engineering in the Math and Science Classroom

CPED 6702

Course Description

Approaches to integrate engineering and design into K-12 math and science classrooms

Course Overview

The course will immerse educators in various forms of engineering and design, from small “design challenges” to more complex, semester long engineering projects. Participants will create classroom-ready materials for their content area, reflecting varying degrees of engineering integration. Key topics include principles of engineering and design, alignment with math and science practices, approaches for integration, identifying and securing resources from local institutions. The course will meet at a local school physics or engineering laboratory and will involve ample opportunities for hands-on engineering and design work. Guest speakers with expertise in engineering and engineering education will participate in the course as consultants and guest speakers. A 4-week long sustained engineering project will be conducted in collaboration with a local non-profit organization.

Required Texts

  • National Research Council (NRC) (2012). A framework for K-12 science education: Practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. Washington, DC: National Academy
  • Vasquez, A., Comer, M., & Sneider, C. (2013). STEM Lesson Essentials: Grades 3-8: Integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Heinmann.
  • Engineering is Elementary Curriculum available from http://www.eie.org/eie- curriculum/curriculum-units

Learning Outcomes

 By the end of the course, participating teachers will:

  • Demonstrate competency in envisioning and implementing a variety of engineering and design integration
  • Identify opportunities to integrate engineering and design learning goals within one core unit normally taught during the academic
  • Engage in a sustained engineering and/or design task, from the initial stage of client contact to intermediate stages of brainstorming, prototyping, and refining to final product

Assignments

Attendance and Constructive Participation in Class

Students must participate regularly and actively in all course activities. Students are expected to demonstrate persistence, optimism and teamwork even in the face of challenges, which are inevitable in the world of engineering and design.

Analysis of Upcoming Unit for Natural Engineering and/or Design Connections

Teachers will select one upcoming unit and identify opportunities to integrate engineering and/or design, and identify resources needed to carry out these engineering and design elements.

Try, Assess, and Reflect on an Engineering and/or Design Project in Your Classroom

Teachers will document and analyze student work and conduct video interviews with students as they implement various forms of engineering integration; findings will be compiled into a three- page succinct paper to be shared with other educators.

Final Engineering Product and Unit Plan

The capstone project for the course is the engagement in a sustained engineering and/or design task, to construct a final product that meets design specifications, to present that product, and then finally to write up a unit plan which will engage K-12 students in a similar, sustained experience involving engineering and/or design. The project will be carried out in collaboration with a local non-profit agency that will identify the engineering task and specifications.

Course Meetings

The course will weave between hands-on engineering and design tasks, pedagogical techniques for integration into K-12 math and science classrooms, and macro scale consideration of the impact of recent reform efforts on engineering and design in K-12 classrooms. Courses will meet in person at a local physics or engineering laboratory. Additional course activities include conversations with guest speakers and field trips to non-profit clients and local hacker spaces.

Course Calendar

Course Meetings Key Topics
1 Engineering and Design: The Basics

 Roehrig, G. H., Moore, T. J., Wang, H. H., & Park, M. S. (2012). Is Adding the E Enough? Investigating the Impact of K12 Engineering Standards on the Implementation of STEM Integration. School Science and Mathematics, 112(1), 31-44.

2 Design Challenges

Berland, L., Martin, T., Ko, P., Peacock, S., and Rudolph, J. (2013). Student learning in challenge-based engineering curricula. Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research, 3(1), 53-64

 Guest Speaker from School of Engineering and Applied Science—nature of design; Boston Museum of Science Design Challenges http://legacy.mos.org/designchallenges/

3 Maker Movement

 Field Trip to HackerSpace DC, FabLab DC or similar space

4-12 Sustained Engineering and Design Task

 During this time, class completes individual and group components for a 4-week long engineering project conducted in collaboration with a local non-profit organization. The project will meet one real need of the non-profit. An initial meeting with the non-profit will occur at meeting 4. Site visits and design work will occur during meetings 5-12. Depending on the nature of the task, additional readings, research, site visits, and other work may be required.

12-13 Comparison of Integration Approaches

Berland, L. (2013). Designing for STEM Integration. Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research, 3(1).

Teachers share examples of student work and video interviews with students about attempts to integrate engineering and design tasks.

14 Securing Resources, Expertise, and Navigating Logistics

Guest Speaker from local robotics group

Playing with new technologies (apps, 3-D printing; coding, etc.) Oldies but goodies (Phets, Scratch, First and Vex, etc.)

15 Presentation of Final Designs and Unit Plans

Teachers present their final engineering products and unit plans for a sustained engineering task that they will implement with their students; local non-profit collaborator will attend the final presentations.