'powered and pumped up' with NASA

摘要

The NASA engineering tasks proved to be an engaging experience that helped middle school students develop an understanding of the engineering process and a relevant application. By being actively involved in the process of designing, constructing, and testing a water-pumping device, students developed an understanding of the necessity of the steps within the engineering design process. Encountering obstacles during the construction process helped students to learn from their failures and rely on their peers. Many engineering projects for middle school-aged students cited in the literature (Hirsch, Berliner-Heyman, Car-pinelli, & Kimmel, 2012; Robinson, Adelson, Kidd, Cunningham, 2018; Cunningham & Kelly, 2017) emphasize the interdisciplinary, project-based learning environment that draws on math, science, and technology and offers major benefits to students at all levels, as it fosters skills such as problem solving, communication, teamwork, independence, imagination, and creativity.