A Workshop to Aid High School Science Teachers in Developing Engineering Design Activities (Evaluation)

摘要

During roughly the last decade, the nation has seen an increased awareness of the importance of incorporating engineering topics in high schools. This has become especially true with the advent of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which include engineering concepts and practices as part of the framework at all levels of K-12 education. While some schools have chosen to offer specialized engineering courses, this is not possible at all schools. Even where specific engineering courses are an option, students with already full schedules may not be able to devote an entire term to exploring what it means to be an engineer. While it could not take the place of a dedicated course, a more realistic option for schools in those situations might be to incorporate engineering activities into existing science courses. This can strengthen the connections between science and engineering. Additionally, this approach has the benefit of reaching students who may not initially be interested in engineering, potentially opening them up to new possibilities for their futures. However, for meaningful engineering activities to be included in these courses, professional development for science teachers must be offered. The literature describes a variety of teacher workshops that employ several different approaches and foci. The strategy most similar to the one focused on here is one by Custer et al, a recent effort to assist teachers in infusing engineering activities into physical and life science courses. They point out that this particular approach to integration between science and engineering is ‘largely a new undertaking’ with currently a small research base.