Making Science and Math Relevant Through Engineering

1. Making Science and Math Relevant Through Engineering Feel free to sit anywhere. Please complete the Educator Background Survey on your table. Thank you! Welcome!

2. Making Science and Math Relevant through Engineering Kristin Sargianis Dipa Shah, Ph.D. Engineering is Elementary Museum of Science, Boston Elizabeth Parry Chair-elect, K-12 Division, ASEE North Carolina State University College of Engineering

3. Workshop Goals • Identify the inherent connections between science, technology, engineering, and math. • Provide strategies and examples of how to use engineering design challenges to support students’ learning in science and math (and other areas). • Brainstorm and discuss how to support teachers as they implement engineering design challenges and make these connections.

4. Engineering is Elementary Definitions • Science: • Technology: • Engineering: • Math:

5. Engineering is Elementary Definitions • Science: The process of inquiring into the natural or human-made world in an attempt to make observations, develop explanations for what is observed, and test these ideas by making predictions and comparing them to what happens in new situations. • Technology: • Engineering: • Math:

6. Engineering is Elementary Definitions • Science: The process of inquiring into the natural or human-made world in an attempt to make observations, develop explanations for what is observed, and test these ideas by making predictions and comparing them to what happens in new situations. • Technology: Any object, system, or process that people create or use to solve a problem or fulfill a desire. • Engineering: • Math:

7. Engineering is Elementary Definitions • Science: The process of inquiring into the natural or human-made world in an attempt to make observations, develop explanations for what is observed, and test these ideas by making predictions and comparing them to what happens in new situations. • Technology: Any object, system, or process that people create or use to solve a problem or fulfill a desire. • Engineering:A problem-solving process (called the Engineering Design Process). Engineers use their creativity and understanding of materials, tools, mathematics, and science to design things that solve problems for people. • Math:

8. Engineering is Elementary Definitions • Science: The process of inquiring into the natural or human-made world in an attempt to make observations, develop explanations for what is observed, and test these ideas by making predictions and comparing them to what happens in new situations. • Technology: Any object, system, or process that people create or use to solve a problem or fulfill a desire. • Engineering: A problem-solving process (called the Engineering Design Process). Engineers use their creativity and understanding of materials, tools, mathematics, and science to design things that solve problems for people. • Math: The study and application of patterns and relationships.

9. Connections between S, T, E, and M • How do these field support one another?

10. Take Home Messages • Scientific discovery and knowledge help to inform and support engineering design. • Engineers use science to help inform their designs of technologies. • Technologies aid scientific discovery. • Math is essential to the “doing” of science and engineering, and to the evaluation of technologies.

11. Tower Power Engineering Design Challenge • Goal:Work with your team members to design and construct the highest tower you can. Your tower must be able to support the stuffed animal. • Materials:100 index cards, 12” cellophane tape, scissors • Time:10 minutes

12. Making Math and Science Relevant Through Engineering • Do you notice any connections to math?What are they? How might you point them out to students? • What about connections to science? • Other subject areas? (Reading, writing, social studies, art, etc.)

13. Making Math and Science Relevant Through Engineering

14. Has engaging in engineering affected your students' learning of science and math (or any other subjects)? Of 20 survey respondents, 18 explicitly reported that engaging their students in engineering has also helped their students utilize their math and science knowledge. Several teachers also reported changes in their students’ problem solving abilities and attitudes towards math and science.

15. Has engaging in engineering affected your students' learning of science and math (or any other subjects)? “I say this often and truly mean it! The engineering units enable students to apply many skills learned in math to hands-on activities outside of a math lesson. Students don't often get the opportunity to measure, collect data and find the mean or average of data unless they are in a math class. These units add greatly to my math curriculum!” - Grade 4 Teacher, Frank M. Silvia Elementary SchoolFall River, MA

16. Has engaging in engineering affected your students' learning of science and math (or any other subjects)? “I see [students] using math and science in real world situations and not simply to answer a question on a test. They are applying what they know. For example, when recently building towers, students used their knowledge of mass to know that heavier objects could not be used at the top of the tower. They compared weights and transferred that knowledge towards their challenge.” - Grade 3 Teacher, Rachel Freeman ElementaryWilmington, NC

17. Green Engineering: Designing Solar Ovens • Design Challenge:Students design the insulation for a solar oven so that the oven stays warm for as long as possible, even when taken out of the Sun. • Students also take the “greenness” of the materials they use into consideration. • Geared towards Grades 3-5

18. Green Engineering: Designing Solar OvensConnections to MATH • Before designing their solar oven insulation, students conduct an experiment to collect data and determine how well certain materials work as thermal insulators.

19. Green Engineering: Designing Solar OvensConnections to MATH Students collect data during the experiment, perform calculations, create graphs, and then draw conclusions that will help inform their solar oven designs.

20. “When students are using math in [engineering] they have ownership of their data. It becomes more meaningful to them because they are invested in it. They are more careful about their measurements and calculations and their data analyses because they really want their designs to succeed.” - Grade 4 Teacher, Frank M. Silvia SchoolFall River, MA

21. Green Engineering: Designing Solar OvensConnections to SCIENCE • Engineers use their knowledge of science to help inform their designs. • In this design challenge, students apply their knowledge of forms of energy and heat transfer as they design their solar ovens. • What is heat energy? • What is temperature? • What causes changes in temperature? • What is a thermal insulator/conductor? • What properties of a material make it a good/poor thermal insulator? • Can heat energy be transformed into any other forms of energy?

22. “...design projects at the elementary and middle school levels will be much enriched and put on a firmer pedagogical foundation if there is an infusion of science process and content....On the other hand, science teaching will be greatly enhanced if it occurs in a design technology context. From my observations and teaching experience, students are highly motivated when working on a challenge or problem that is related to their personal lives or the world outside of the classroom.” - Zubrowski, B. (2002) Integrating Science into Design Technology Projects: Using a Standard Model in the Design Process. Journal of Technology Education 13 (2), 48-66.

23. Connections to Other Subject Areas • Technology • Writing • Reading • Social Studies • Social Problem Solving • Art • Physical Education • Music

24. The Big Picture • What are the barriers to implementing these ideas in schools? How can we overcome them?

25. How else does engaging in engineering affect students? • Teamwork & Communication Skills “I have noticed children who will reluctantly participate in the regular class become an active member of the team. Through [engineering], they realize that their opinion is important and they can help with the solution.” - Grade 2 Teacher, Stapleton School, Framingham, MA

26. How else does engaging in engineering affect students? • Creativity “I have been able to see students who typically shut down in classroom situation excel when presented with engineering challenges. They become some of the most creative students in my classroom.” - Grade 3 Teacher, Rachel Freeman Elementary, Wilmington, NC

27. How else does engaging in engineering affect students? • Optimism “I think because children have had the opportunity to really problem solve on their own, and with their peers they are more confident in their own abilities. They don't waste any time when given a challenge.” - Grade 2 Teacher, Framingham, MA

28. Acknowledgements • The Engineering is Elementary project team • Museum of Science, Boston • North Carolina State University College of Engineering • Rachel Freeman Elementary School, Wilmington, NC • Brentwood Elementary School, Raleigh, NC • Frank M. Silvia School, Fall River, MA • Stapleton Elementary School, Framingham, MA • National Center for Technological Literacy • National Science Foundation, Liberty Mutual, Intel, Cisco, Bechtel, MA Board of Education Pipeline Fund, Hewlett-Packard, Millipore

29. Contacts & More Information • Engineering is Elementary Projectwww.mos.org/eie • Kristin Sargianisksargianis@mos.org • Dipa Shahdshah@mos.org • Elizabeth Parryeaparry@ncsu.edu • National Center for Technological Literacywww.nctl.org • American Society for Engineering Educationwww.asee.org(K-12 resources)