Children’s Engineering Bringing Children’s Engineering to the Elementary Classrooms Unit #1 Children’s Engineering Introduction and Science versus Technology Created by Miss Kelley Davis (kdavis@pagecounty.k12.va.us) Page County Public Schools Division-Wide STEM Coach

So what is… S T E M Science Technology Engineering Math

Did you know... “If the United States is to maintain it’s economic power, then we will need a STEM-educated workforce that can meet the demands of business in an increasingly complex and technology-driven economy.” Tony Murphy, US News and World Report

What in the world did you just say? Not enough students are graduating school trained for the jobs that the US needs!!! We need more students educated in the fields of STEM!!!

More STEM facts By 4th grade, one-third of the students have lost interest in STEM-related classes By 8th grade, one-half of the students have lost interest in STEM-related classes By 2018, 8 million jobs will require a degree or background in STEM (Georgetown University Center on Education and Workplace) 8 out of 10 of the most wanted “jobs” involve a background in STEM (US Dept. of Labor) The starting salary for an engineer is $47, 500 STEM fields earn 26% more in salary than other jobs.

So we need to bring back the excitement of STEM So we need to bring back the excitement of STEM...starting in the elementary school!!!

STEM promotes... 1. Critical Thinking & Problem Solving *higher level thinking (Bloom’s…woohoo!) *risk taking *investigation (solve a problem NOT find one correct answer) 2. Organizational Skills *self-regulate *plan & sequence 3. Creativity & Hands-On Learning 4. Communication *share ideas & theories *use appropriate vocabulary *use drawings, graphs, and charts *social skills 5. Teamwork 6. Relevance *if it relates to students’ lives then it’s more meaningful *real-world problems 7. Process Over Product 8. Failure is OK!

Did you say we are going to bring Technology and Engineering to elementary school???

YES I did!!!

Children are natural investigators, creators, builders, and engineers. They don’t ask how something works, they investigate on their own. Children love to take things apart and put them back together. When children are faced with a problem, unlike adults, they solve it without restrictions (Sandi Reyes) Nothing is impossible in a child’s eyes.

Before we get into all the fun things you can do with your elementary school students…. Lets make sure the grown-ups know their stuff!

You have 60 seconds to write 1 example of technology on a sticky note. What is Technology? You have 60 seconds to write 1 example of technology on a sticky note. I bet you said computer, ipad, cellphones, or electronics... Didn’t you???

Let’s try this again... Technology is anything that is human-made or human-altered; how people modify their environment to meet their needs and wants.

If we took away all the technology in this room, what would we have left?

JUST FOR FUN What do you think was the first technology designed by humans?

The rock!!!

One last look at the difference between Science & Technology… Theory Practice Knowing & Understanding Doing & Making Natural Phenomena Human-made Phenomena Hypothesize, Collect, Observe, Experiment, Discover, Theorize Evaluate, Create, Make, Apply, Design, Invent We use technology for scientific research We use science for technological research

Now that you are a pro on technology, Do you think you know the difference between SCIENCE (comes from nature) and TECHNOLOGY (comes from humans) ???

Everybody UP!!! It’s time for a POP QUIZ

If the card is... SCIENCE Step to the LEFT TECHNOLOGY Step to the RIGHT

Now you know about technology... SOOOOOOOO... Now you know about technology... Let’s move on to engineering!

What is Engineering? Engineering is the process that creates technologies; how people apply science, technology, and math to come to a practical end.

What do Engineers do? Engineers: design build create make draw solve construct dream imagine discover invent Scientists discover the world that exists. Engineers create the world that never was. Theodore Von Karmon

How do I start??? DESIGN PROCESS & DESIGN BRIEFS Use these!!!

Design Process...say WHAT?!?

The Design Process is a circle or a loop... just like the life cycles we teach. See, I told you we could relate STEM to the SOLS!!! It’s a tool for students to use to guide them through the problem solving process.

Design Briefs... you just said underwear hahaha!!!

That’s it? Is this a joke? A Design Brief is simply a lesson plan. It’s a written description that outlines the problem to be solved!!! That’s it? Is this a joke?

Design Briefs include: Background: What you been learning so far, up to this point. Challenge: What you are asking the children to design and create. Criteria: What must be included in the project. Materials: Any consumables the students can use. Tools: Any non-consumables the students can use. SOLs & Standards of Technological Literacy: Just like your daily lesson plans. Title, teacher, and grade taught: We all deserve credit for our creativeness.

Design Briefs should also be accompanied by a Portfolio This gives the children a chance to think and brainstorm their idea and gives the teacher a chance to make sure the students truly understand the challenge

Design Briefs should also be accompanied by a Rubric This is how you will assess the challenge Exceeded Expectation Met Expectation Partially Met Expectation Did Not Meet Expectation Student restated challenge in his/her own words. Student worked with a team to sketch a plan. Student constructed a shape (meeting all criteria). Student evaluated/presented shape to the class.

I got this!!! Piece of cake!!!

Now let’s get to the fun stuff!!!