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Into, Through, and Beyond: An Integrative Framework for the Teaching of Statics Jon-Michael Hardin Virginia Military Institute

Introduction

Statics is universally recognized as a fundamental foundation course in engineering. Therefore, much research has focused on specific pieces of the Statics teaching puzzle, such as Statics Concept Inventories, concept-based hands-on experiments or demonstrations, and engineering design. However, there has been little discussion concerning a pedagogical framework by which to integrate those pieces to achieve the primary goal of overall student competency in Statics. In this paper, the author puts forth such a framework: Into, Through, and Beyond, a pedagogically-based teaching methodology that has been used primarily in the teaching of reading, ESL (English as a Second Language), and, more recently, in the teaching of foreign languages. Additionally, through its current linguistic usage, the content-based Into, Through, and Beyond framework provides an effective, analogous, and new model for the teaching of the Statics engineering ‘language,’ composed of specific vocabulary (e.g., force, moment, couple) and grammar (e.g., the ‘rules’ for constructing a free-body diagram and mathematic rules), within the content-base of fundamental engineering concepts (e.g., equivalency and equilibrium) and engineering design.

In this paper, the author discusses the Into, Through, and Beyond teaching methodology and provides a specific example for the use of this methodology in the teaching of Statics. It should be noted, however, that the provided example should not be viewed as a specific model since it has not been formally tested in classroom usage. Rather, this example is presented solely to illustrate how the Into, Through, and Beyond methodology could be adapted for use in the teaching of Statics.

Into, Through, and Beyond

The Into, Through, and Beyond teaching method evolved from research that supported the effectiveness of content-based instruction (CBI) in the teaching of reading. This research showed that student learning and retention of linguistic skills, i.e., the effective use of vocabulary and grammar, was improved when these linguistic basics were taught within a content-based framework. Student learning and retention of the content materials was similarly shown to be improved through use of this teaching method. Based on the success of this method in the teaching of reading, the method was later adapted to the teaching of ESL and of foreign languages.1,2

The Into, Through, and Beyond teaching framework is based on the iterative use of a progressive three-stage ‘scaffolded’ cycle with each stage designed to motivate and

Proceedings of the 2005 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2005, American Society for Engineering Education

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Hardin, J. (2005, June), Into, Through, And Beyond: An Integrative Framework For The Teaching Of Statics Paper presented at 2005 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--14585