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Session 1793

Integrating Engineering throughout K-12 Classrooms: A Working Model for Involvement of Teachers

Bonniejean Boettcher, Bree Carlson, Martha Cyr Worcester Polytechnic Institute/University of Massachusetts Amherst

Abstract

Four Massachusetts universities are working together to provide engineering design content and support for teachers from across the state. The focus of this NSF funded project is to provide professional development opportunities to strengthen the background of teachers, and to guide them with implementation ideas and support as they bring engineering into to their classes. The project is currently in the first year of a five-year program that establishes mentor teachers who then assist in the dissemination to other teachers from their grade levels. The initial set of teachers is high school educators. In subsequent years middle school, late elementary, and early elementary teachers will have the same professional development and mentoring opportunities.

Introduction

In response to the educational reform act of 19931, Massachusetts implemented statewide curriculum frameworks in 1994. The state education reform included a mandated review of the content standards used in the curriculum frameworks after five years of implementation. Review of the initially implemented sciences standards, along with knowledge of the newly framed vision for technological literacy presented in Technically Speaking, Why all American Should be Technologically Literate2, and the International Technology Education Association (ITEA) standards3, lead to the newest Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Frameworks4. Also as part of the education reform act, the state of Massachusetts has implemented a high stakes testing system throughout its pre-college educational system to test student knowledge in various areas of the state set curriculum frameworks. These tests are known as the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS.) The science and technology/engineering exam is currently given to students in grades five and eight, and a tenth grade exam in technology/engineering is presently under development. At the fifth and eighth grade level, technology/engineering questions make up 25% of the exam - yet technology education is typically taught as an elective course in which many students do not participate.

To help in addressing this issue, a group of four higher education institutions from across Massachusetts have partnered together through a grant from the National Science Foundation in a multi-year program entitled Pre-college Engineering for Teachers (PCET)5. The aim of this program is to allow math, science, and technology teachers to attend a professional development workshop in teams where they learn about the engineering design process for implementation Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering Education

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Cyr, M., & Boettcher, B., & Carlson, B. (2004, June), Integrating Engineering Throughout K 12 Classrooms: A Working Model For Involvement Of Teachers Paper presented at 2004 Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--13059