Conference Session

Thinking, Reasoning, and Engineering in Elementary School

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Augusto Macalalag, Stevens Institute of Technology; Susan Lowes, Teachers College/Columbia University; Mercedes McKay, Stevens Institute of Technology; Karen Guo, Teachers College/Columbia University; Elisabeth McGrath, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

better prepare students for the 21st century.BackgroundCurrent indicators are worrisome. The most recent international comparison study doneby the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2007, showedthat math scores of U.S. 4th and 8th graders have increased but science scores haveremained unchanged since 19957. The National Assessment of Education Progress(NAEP) reported in 2006 that while science learning among fourth graders increasedsince the survey was last administered, this was not the case for students in grades eightand twelve8. These results were partially due to teachers lacking the content knowledge,pedagogical knowledge, and experience to teach the subject, lack of coherence in pre-service and professional

Conference Session

Think Outside the Box! K-12 Engineering Curriculum

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kelly Hutchinson, Purdue University; Lynn Bryan, Purdue University; George Bodner, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

need to question the techniques being used and therefore, nochange was seen. In contrast, if teachers’ beliefs did not match the instructional strategies, theywere more apt to change.Although not discussed as beliefs in their study, Peers, Diezmann, and Watters, indicated that theteacher’s beliefs about teaching, learning, himself, and his students affected his readiness toimplement the reform.5 This included: how accepting he was to the need for change, hispersonal interest in the change, how willing he was to explore the reform, his openness tocollaborating with others, and his ability to utilize self-reflection.5Roehrig, Kruse, & Kern also discussed the affect of school factors on the teachers’implementation of an inquiry-based

Conference Session

Gender and Minority Issues in K-12 Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Siddika Guzey, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Tamara Moore, University of Minnesota; Gillian Roehrig, University of Minnesota

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

activities and integrating technology into science classrooms. Technology Enhanced Communities (TEC) funded by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education is an online learning community developed in collaboration with graduate students David Groos and Joel Donna for middle school science teachers in Minneapolis Public Schools working to integrate technology into their classrooms. TEC will be extended to include teachers on the White Earth Reservation. Page 14.288.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Bridge Design on the Reservation: A Study of Curriculum