Paper ID #28966What will you do to help elementary students who struggle in theengineering design process? Analysis of teachers’ reflections.(Fundamental)Mr. Zachary Minken, Arcadia University Mr. Zachary Minken, High School Science Teacher, teaches Biology and Chemistry to 10th - 12th grade students. He is the Lead Coach of the School of the Future Robotics Team, which is a rookie team participating in the FIRST Tech Challenge. During the summer months, he is the Director of the iD Tech Camp based at the University of Pennsylvania, a summer program designed to teach students ages 7-17 about programming, physical
Washington Andrew Davidson is a senior lecturer in human centered design and engineering at the University of Washington, specializing in physical computing and HCI. He directs the department’s K–12 outreach program, and is also a former high school computer science teacher.Dr. Jennifer A Turns, University of Washington Jennifer Turns is a Professor in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering at the Univer- sity of Washington. She is interested in all aspects of engineering education, including how to support engineering students in reflecting on experience, how to help engineering educators make effective teach- ing decisions, and the application of ideas from complexity science to the challenges of
local, national, and higher education stakeholders for use in K-12 formal and informal spaces.The motivation for the research project is the development of anapplication that will integrate the EEFK12 into a tool that is useful inthe hands of students and teachers. The mobile application has thesepurposes: to facilitate peer assessment after real-time interaction instudio or design critiques, to facilitate and encourage self-reflectionand metacognition, to provide additional data for teachers to use inassessment, and to show students’ growth and change over time (ifused in long-term educational experiences). The hypothesis is thatpeer assessment will support reflection in the community of Figure 1 Interaction of outcomes of
LearningIntroductionThis paper describes a case-based, mixed-methods study of how K-12 teachers support andscaffold student learning in a Problem-based Learning (PBL) engineering lesson. The studyexamined how K-12 engineering teachers planned to support student learning using scaffolding,how they implemented scaffolds during PBL engineering activities, and how they reflected upontheir PBL engineering lesson implementation.PBL in engineering educationEngineering practice and other design-focused fields involve solving complex problems, often incollaborative teams. Generally, these engineering problems do not have a single solution andrequire multifaceted skillsets from many domains. However, engineering students often findthemselves unprepared to manage messy
designs fail the test; groups testing iterate and continue testing, trying to improve their designs. Day 7: What can we learn by looking across all our design attempts? Reflection Groups reflect on their design attempts; teacher facilitates a whole class discussion comparing across designs. Day 8: How do engineers share their ideas through speaking and writing? Design Groups share their designs and design process with other students and members of the conference school and greater community. DESIGN BRIEF Goal: Design, build, test, and iterate on a retaining structure that keeps sand away from the model train tracks, allows the sand to support the weight of a model building, and stays up when
outreach ambassador orientations toward teachinginfluence this variation. Particularly promising for engineering teaching and learning, we observed ambassadors makingbids to elicit student ideas, pressing for evidence-based explanations, and revoicing students’design ideas. These moves are characteristic of ambitious instruction and have the potential tosupport students to engage in reflective decision-making and to guide students towardproductive, more expert engineering design practices. Our analysis suggests that engineeringoutreach ambassadors notice and respond to students’ ideas, thereby engaging in ambitiousteaching practices which can be expected to support elementary students in making progress inengineering design. This analysis of
learned how to sketch basic process flowsheets, made bath bombs (soap fizzies) [9, 11],measured their lung capacity after blowing bubbles from soap solutions, calculated their carbonfootprint and were asked to reflect on a cow’s breath as well as an industrial plant and theenvironmental effects of energy use for bioplastic manufacturing.Given the relevance and scope of the plastics crisis, we spent the majority of the class exploringhow plastics contribute to waste and what strategies exist to alleviate this problem. Studentslearned how bioplastics are made from renewable biomass such as vegetable fats, oils, corn-starch,milk and other bio resources. They explored biodegradability and what components in cornstarchand milk could make effective
often team-based and develops based on peer, colleague, and client feedback.attempted to address in this study. This is a validation study of an open-ended questionnaire, theViews about the Nature of Engineering Knowledge (VNOEK) Questionnaire, which was Elements of this framework reflect other NOE descriptions in the literature [9] [14] and it is alsodesigned to gather K-16 teachers’ views about the NOEK. The questionnaire was created as part supportive of those other articulations. However, it is not identical, and we needed an instrumentof
videos showing device functionality, share programming code, and post a reflection on their design processFigure 2: Tasks and sample student work from final design project of first elementary contentcourseOur research questions for exploring this conjecture with TEEP program asked: 1. How did teachers respond to engaging in meaningful engineering for teachers in the TEEP program? 2. What did teachers identify as important things they learned about engineering content and pedagogy?METHODSParticipantsIn this exploratory study, we analyzed the transcriptions of semi-structured interviews of elevenelementary teachers and specialists in the 2017-2018 TEEP program. The group of teachers, 10females and 1
development.Science Content Description of the problem that students are presented with inFocus/Grade the unitLevel ofimplementationLight and Laser Secure, Inc., designs security systems to protect valuableWaves assets, and the company is seeking help from students to design a laser security system to protect the artifacts in a traveling6th grade museum exhibit. Students investigate properties of light, including reflection, refraction, absorption, and transmission. Their solutions must protect the artifacts by having an intruder cross the laser light at least three times between entering the door and encountering the artifact using
result of its inclusionand elevated importance in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) [1]. Within thenascent field of pre-college engineering education, the ways in which elementary engineeringexperiences may support the formation of engineering identities in young children are not wellunderstood [2]. What is known about formative experiences in engineering is that participationtends to be gendered [3], with girls and boys engaging in and reflecting on engineering activitiesin different ways. This paper focuses on identity, as developing a strong engineering identity, orsense of belonging in engineering, is essential to pursuing and persisting in the field.Participation in engineering outreach programs is widely seen as an opportunity
used to assess program impact atscale. We studied results from a series of surveys using two deployment modes with 94 youthwho participated in programs at an afterschool maker learning center. We found thatretrospective surveys that ask youth to reflect on shifts in their attitudes after completing aprogram are more effective than the same surveys deployed twice, pre- and post- a program.These results confirm input from youth interviews in which they expressed dislike of repeatingthe same surveys before and after a program and difficulty with answering self-assessmentquestions without a point of reference.1. IntroductionAfterschool maker programs provide opportunities for engaging youth in hands-on projects thatrequire creative problem solving
continuing their education,obtaining more STEM-related experience, and preparing themselves for the future.While our hypotheses were generally not supported, the results of this evaluation may suggestNM PREP is an effective means of helping students identify whether they are interested infurther pursuing engineering-related activities. It is possible these results reflect the nature of theprogram in that students’ may feel overwhelmed with the amount of information they are givenin a period of two weeks. It is also possible the lack of significant results is related to changes inthe evaluation procedures throughout the program’s implementation.Table 2.Independent Samples t-Test Survey Results Self-Efficacy: Self-Efficacy
engineering vicarious experiences, they can inform their ownteaching practices and practice reflective teaching as they teach lessons. IntroductionWithin the last decade, there has been a push for engineering to be taught in the K-12 schoolsystem. Integrating engineering into the classroom is especially important due to the expressedneed for engineers from organizations such as the National Academy of Engineering and fromreports like PCAST that predicted a need for one million more STEM professionals by 2020 [1],[2]. In addition to this expressed need, research shows that students begin making career choicesas early as, if not before, high school, so it is important they gain an understanding of
grades of zero (i.e., incomplete assignments, D), misseddays of classroom instruction (E), and missed days of Discovery (F) by student between schools.N=77 and 53 for Schools A and B, respectively. P-values reflect nonparametric U-tests between schools.Aggregate assessment of classroom performance from both schools presented consistent meanfinal course grades (excluding the 10-15% Discovery portion) of 67% (Figure 2A); given thissimilarity it was determined that further comparative analysis between school cohorts wasjustified. However, performance on Discovery variables was significantly different (p < 0.0001)between school cohorts; School A students averaged 67% (remarkably consistent to their
. BrainSTEM Alliance Ltd. Email: info@brainstemalliance.com Website: www.brainstemalliance.com Our mission is to collaborate with community partners to create accessible programming that fosters awareness, increases engagement and inspires the use of STEM in our daily lives. Our vision is for every person to have the opportunity to be empowered by Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).The concept of using instrumentation for process control can also introduced depending on gradelevel, and students can reflect on the importance of proportions when scaling (flow/levelindicators) as well as the
we learn by looking across all our design attempts? Final tests Groups reflect on their design attempts, teacher facilitates a whole class discussion & review comparing across designs. Day 11-12: How do engineers share their ideas through speaking and writing? Design Groups prepare for and engage in the conference, where they share their designs and conference design process with other students and members of the school and greater community. DESIGN BRIEF Goal: Stop pollutants (various sizes of beads, glitter, and oil) in the stream (elevated end of your bin) from entering the drinking reservoir (lowered end of your bin) Criteria: Your system MUST: Constraints: • Filter out as much
solved the problem of lack of housing in earthquake affected areas” or “Caroline did a great job ensuring that light would still be able to reach inside the Ecobrick house”, etc. ● Closure: Have students complete an exit ticket reflection. This activity should show student understanding of listed objectives. ○ What would they change about their design next time? ○ How can Ecobricks affect your own community? Contingency Plan If students are struggling to be inspired, allow them time to research ideas online, as well as look at the 1 00 Under $100: One Hundred Tools for Empowering Global Women book to see the pictures of Ecobricks at work! Additionally, because this project can easily be picked up where
careers; greater focus on hands on experiences; and opportunities forstudent reflection [30]. For example, they suggested one-on-one mentoring opportunities andstudent evaluation of experiences as potential areas for growth.STEM Academy parents. The following themes emerged as most important from the parent-perspective for supporting student sense of belonging, safety, and conception of self (listed inorder of importance based on the list of validated strategies presented in Table 1 above): • Strategy 5: Present and recruit positive role models from diverse groups o Expose students to successful role models from their groups who refute negative stereotype. • Strategy 2: Create a critical mass o Increase the
for participants.A self-reflection on increased computer programming knowledge was included on the post-surveyresponse. Of the responses [Figure 1], three said their understanding increased very little, three said theirunderstanding increased a lot, and the 13 remaining participants stated varying degrees of increasedunderstanding within the given range. The average of the group was a 5.3, suggesting that the group as awhole moderately increased their understanding of programming. Figure 1: A post-workshop survey response to the question, “How much did working with Code + Chords increase your understanding of programming?” for all participants in the study.An important question asked in the exit survey was, “Did
thebackground to and basic knowledge about each mode of transportation. Lectures were followedby a hands-on laboratory class or a computer-based activity where students could apply the basicprinciples of transportation engineering to solve a problem related to each mode oftransportation. Finally, field trips were arranged to help students connect the theory and hands-onactivities to real-world engineering and aviation applications. A Likert scale questionnaire wasused to inquire about participants’ opinions of STEM and to assess the effectiveness of theprogram in introducing students to STEM. This paper reflects on opportunities and challenges indeveloping and implementing the curriculum and suggests improvements to it.IntroductionHigh school students
second, as a futureelementary education teacher creating a learning experience. As such, we needed a frameworkthat could transition with students as they first experience design as a pedagogy for learningscience and then later enact design as a pedagogy in elementary education classrooms. It alsoneeded to support teacher noticing in both contexts—preservice teacher preparation classroomsand elementary education classrooms—as a way to monitor and facilitate learning as well assupport reflective practice and sensemaking [26]. With specific reference to Berland [22], wesought a fundamental expansion of what it means to know and do engineering design byreframing how we think about the kinds of knowledge involved in being able to enactengineering
populations. Thispaper describes the experiences of a sample of high school educators that comprise the inauguralcohort of nine E4USA educators. The educators’ reflective responses to professionaldevelopment (PD), which they received as preparation for this course prior to the start of the2019-20 academic year are particularly illuminated. Literature Review A review of extant scholarship reveals several themes regarding the teaching ofengineering in K-12 settings. One theme is a tendency among some K-12 scholars andpractitioners to not distinguish engineering education as a distinct field within the STEMdisciplines. Nadelson, Callahan, Pyke, Hay, Dance, and Pfiester [5] suggest that the
a Bill of Materials to determine what to buy, quantities, sizes, etc. 10. Construct final model 11. Host exhibition of learning in front of an audience of peers and an invited audience 12. Reflect on the session including personal progress and skills learnedSince the students are at different stages of core skills (Math, Reading, English, etc.), theopen-ended aspect of the project parameters enables the students to learn much moreindividualized engineering skills. Students take the initiative to learn skills necessary to completethe projects they have designed. The instructors then help the students learn these skills and helpmanage safety during the process. However, the design process being followed is consistentacross all ages
toengineering by placing them in teams and asking them to build and customize the design of anunderwater remotely operated vehicle (U-ROV). Students were also tasked with competing withthe U-ROV in a timed obstacle course at the end of the program. In this study we examined howstudents participated in and built intra-team working relationships within the EAP using anembedded graduate student researcher, who simultaneously functioned as a team member, and anapproach informed by ethnographic research methods. Data were generated by the graduatestudent researcher through a reflective journaling practice, design artifacts detailing materialsproduced by students, as well as debriefings conducted with program mentors and directors. Inaccordance with an
drawing to reflect the change. 4 2) Your road must start at the top of the highest point on the mountains and AT LEAST 50% of your road must be on the mountains. 3) Your road must include AT LEAST 3 TURNS (a loop around the mountain can count as 2 turns) AND 1 UPHILL section. 4) Your vehicle (marble) must not leave the road or stop during the drive down the mountain. 5) Your vehicle (marble) must land safely in the cup at the end of the road. 6) You may use UP TO 3 LENGTHS of road material. You may use the other materials provided responsibly and cooperatively as needed. 7) You will have 30 MINUTES TOTAL to build
the teacher. Teachers must shift from an evaluative to interpretiveperspective as they move away from guiding students to correct answers and towardemphasizing student exploration and engagement [15]. The teachers’ focus should targetencouragement of students’ reflections on their reasoning and interpretations of problemsituations [7]. Contrary to current practices of warning students when they take a wrong step intheir solution efforts, teachers need to encourage students to focus on their interpretation specificideas and their connections to the problem at hand [13].National standards documents have made clear that mathematics is an essential tool for scientificinquiry, and science is a critical context for developing mathematics competence
springboardfor student interest [4] and reflection. Research suggests that a well-designed field trip experiencemay in fact be remembered by students well after the experience took place [5]. In engineeringeducation, established research on the standards for preparation and professional development forteachers of engineering recommend that teachers improve their pedagogical content knowledge byengaging in STEM field trip partner programs with engineering mentors at local companies anduniversities [6].Program DetailsNortheastern University’s Center for STEM Education offers STEM Field Trip experiences for4th to 8th grade students throughout the collegiate academic year. The program launched over 10years ago in collaboration with a National Science
summer BEST program was in all senses a success. Teachers reportedvery positive feedback. In addition, bioengineering faculty reported strong support for theprogram to continue. This year we have begun preparing two manuscripts to describe and reportour progress in the BEST program. In addition, we have been reflecting on ways to deepen ourunderstanding of the program impact on teachers as well as their classrooms. As we consider arenewal application, we are defining ways to strengthen and analyze the program morerigorously.CONCLUSION Reflecting on the progress made through the end of year 4 of this grant support, we areconfident that the BEST program is having a positive impact on its participants. We continue torecognize the importance
acknowledged that he didn’tknow but a professional athlete may be an option.As Joseph engaged with different team members in 5 different engineering design challengesover the 10-day period his perceptions and self-efficacy began shifting. As seen in Figure 1,Joseph’s perceptions of engineering decreased in the traits initially identified. Joseph explainedthat his decreased perception was a result of a change in his perceived level of difficulty. DueJoseph becoming more confident in his abilities to engage in the skills of an engineer, by the endof camp, Joseph states “I can [become an engineer], but I just don’t want to waste time.” Thisstatement is a direct reflection of the mismatch in Joseph’s personal interests with his pre- andpost- perceptions