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Modeling in support of engineering design process: Experiences in the elementary classroom

Abstract

Increasingly students of all ages should be engaged in science, engineering and computational activities as it is used across an increasing amount of subject areas. Inquiry-based elementary science education provides students with some opportunities to engage in authentic science but the subject area expertise required by teachers can be daunting and time consuming. Currently engineering education professionals are looking for opportunities to positively influence elementary (STEM) experience but the school curriculum demands limit their opportunity to expose students to the benefits of engineering problem solving. Through professional development we have instituted some graphic-based modeling techniques that support and extend current inquiry science curriculum activities and leverage the engineering design cycle. Research and findings done as part of a two-year NSF-supported project in elementary education will be presented, demonstrating how modeling activities in the form of student-produced drawings and notebook entries have been used to help explore scientific and mathematical concepts underlying engineering problems. Specifically, kit-based science and technology education activities that actively support engineering problem-based learning are used as a context for exploring the potential of these graphic-based modeling activities.

Introduction

In recent years K-12 education was to provide a strong foundation in science and mathematics prior to formal engineering education in college. Increasingly, however, “pre-engineering” curricula have been developed as either stand-alone courses or supplemental experiences 1. To this end, a full or modified version of the engineering design cycle is employed as part of the context and process orientation of the activities 2. At the same time, kit-based elementary science education has become a prominent strategy among many school districts. An ongoing challenge for both science and engineering education is to provide rich and meaningful context based instruction that is connected to student’s real world experience by moving students beyond process skills to more problem based learning 3. The National Science Education Standards 4 advocates technology and design as central features to a strong inquiry-based science education. Whereas science helps learners to understand the natural world, the goal of technology is to extend human capabilities and make modifications in the world. Technology design involves the application of knowledge to new situations or goals, resulting in the development of new knowledge 5. However, recent research has demonstrated that difficulties of effectively bringing substantive math and science content to bear in middle and high school pre-engineering curricula 6 . These challenges for relevant math and science integration are even greater at the elementary level 7. With little room for new curriculum, there is a need to develop innovative instructional strategies that leverage existing inquiry-based science curriculum to support engineering education goals. We suggest graphic-based modeling as a mediating process between inquiry science and engineering design, providing students with a robust way of using and developing scientific abilities while engaging in engineering problem solving.

Over the years several engineering education research initiatives have developed engineering

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Bedward, J., & Wiebe, E., & Madden, L., & Minogue, J., & Carter, M. (2010, June), Modeling In Support Of The Engineering Design Process: Experiences In The Elementary Classroom Paper presented at 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition, Louisville, Kentucky. 10.18260/1-2--16082