ASSESSMENT RESULTS FROM A THREE-YEAR PROJECT TO TEACH ENGINEERING IN GRADES K-6

摘要

Assessment results from a three-year project to teach engineering in grades K through six conducted as part of the NSF Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) program are presented. This project involved 18 graduate fellows, 33 public school teachers, and approximately 1000 students in grades K-6 in an urban school system. An unusual aspect of the project is that it brought the teaching of engineering to the earliest grades. Project goals included specific positive impacts on the fellows and teachers as well as on the elementary school students. Assessment results demonstrate substantial positive outcomes for the teachers and fellows but results are inconclusive for the students, perhaps due to the assessment techniques employed.