We all know that STEM education plays a important role in students’ ability to become world changers. But what does it look like to teach engineering? What should students be doing? What questions should they be asking themselves? How should they pursue the answers to those questions? For those of us who don’t have engineering degrees (read: most of us), teaching students to collaborate and innovate through engineering can be a daunting task.
Take a look at some of these videos from the organization EiE – Engineering is Elementary. Their entire mission revolves around improving teachers’ ability to teach engineering and technology in elementary school. They use a simple yet powerful thinking model to teach students about engineering and design thinking:
Through the 20 units available in this free curriculum, students design, build, and test everything from bridges to windmills to methods for cleaning up an oil spill.
image credit: eie.org
The other great thing is that EiE publishes books that contextualize the problems that students are trying to solve, giving them real world parameters and motivation to find solutions. The books feature young people from all backgrounds to help inspire groups who are underrepresented in the STEM fields.
(photo credit: https://www.asme.org/getmedia/1a30adcc-3faa-4284-97bc-6374ea949fc8/Elementary-Kids-Tinker-and-Design_01.jpg.aspx?width=340)
Check them out!
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