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Grounded in the findings of a three year exploratory student whereby teachers' and policy makers' perceptions of elementary level engineering education were analysed, this paper focuses upon three strands of engineering education activity: Pedagogy: Practice, and: Policy. Taking into account the challenges associated with introducing engineering education at an elementary level across the UK, the paper critiques the role played by the 'competition model' in promoting engineering to children and 4 to 11 years. In considering the 'added value' that appropriately developed engineering education activities can offer in the classroom the discussion argues that elementary level engineering has the potential to reach across the curriculum, offering context and depth in many different areas. The paper concludes by arguing that by introducing the discipline to children at a foundational level, switching on their 'Engineering Imaginations' and getting them to experience the value and excitement of engineering, maths and applied science a new "Educational Frontier" will be forged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational Thinking is a term to group skills for the utilization of computers as problem solving tools that improves college readiness and increases K12 students' likelihood of attending and graduating from college. It differentiates from Digital Literacy (or Computer Literacy) where a person acquires skills for using the computer for everyday use. Statistics about the percentage of bachelor's degrees in computer science/engineering earned in the United States during the last twenty years shows that less than 20 percent of graduates account for underrepresented minorities which place this population in great disadvantage with other ethnic groups. Given that New Mexico is a state with high percentage of underrepresented minorities, the Department of Engineering at Northern New Mexico College through the support of Google Inc. and the National Science Foundation has organized and developed Computational Thinking (CT) workshops and activities for K12 teachers and preservice teachers during the last two years as an approach to increase the awareness of Computer Science among K12 students in New Mexico. The curriculum developed in the workshops have provided teachers and preservice teachers a variety of tools to incorporate and enhance their classes in K12 schools through the utilization of computational thinking activities. The approach utilized for the workshops has not only enhanced CT skills but also has provided ideas to develop lesson plans and activities for the Common Core State Standards. The present paper presents a summary of the activities developed for the workshops as well as results that the participants have shared on the utilization of the acquired skills in their classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research paper, we explore the difficult decisions faced by large-scale, multisection courses in early undergraduate engineering education regarding fair and consistent assessment of student learning across sections. Our previous analysis of grading patterns of undergraduate graders in a first-year engineering course revealed that divergent decisions likely stemmed from two sources: insufficient grader training and ambiguities in rubrics and assignments. After revising rubrics and implementing grader training for a semester, we conducted think-aloud interviews with 17 undergraduate graders regarding grading, rubrics, and training. Qualitative analysis identified four technical aspects of rubrics that led to divergent grading decisions (wordiness, redundancies, unexpected solutions, and grade misfit) and five aspects that limited training effectiveness (length, misalignment, insufficient feedback, limited consequences, and philosophical misunderstanding). These findings contribute nuance to and extend upon aspects of rubric design and undergraduate grader training that have been previously identified in the literature. Recommendations related to issues identified are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A collaborative research project between students and faculty in the California Polytechnic State University College of Architecture & Environmental Design (CAED) and the School of Education was undertaken to bring motivation for design, engineering and construction careers into local elementary school classrooms. The project was initiated by faculty in the Architectural Engineering (ARCE) department of the CAED which includes departments in Architectural Engineering, Architecture, City & Regional Planning, Construction Management and Landscape Architecture. These departments can provide students and faculty proficient in the areas of building design and construction. Faculty and teacher candidates in the School of Education provide the knowledge and skills needed to introduce technical concepts and practices for the present and future education of elementary school students; thus creating rich fields for collaboration. Through a series of lessons fourth through sixth grade students learned and applied grade level appropriate knowledge and skills in the design and construction of two structures. A clearly defined process of roles required to build a bridge was first used to introduce design and construction concepts. This was followed by repeating the roles and steps through a less constrained process to design and build a sand sculpture. The culminating event was a contest held to build the sand sculptures. Pre- and post-assessments of students at the elementary school were conducted to investigate students' prior knowledge of the distinct work of the professions and if providing a practical application for math and science concepts enhanced student learning. Teacher candidates and cooperating teachers were surveyed to assess their familiarity with the professions, the application of science and math to the professions and their perceptions surrounding their students' abilities and interests. The paper describes the program, lessons learned and the assessment data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case study which described how the Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) methodology is applied to develop and implement culturally relevant Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) curriculum that emphasizes engineering for tribal youth in grades 4-6 through a collaboration between the University of Idaho and two American Indian tribal communities, is presented. Topics covered include impact of the summer camp on student attitudes toward STEM.

National and state science standards emphasize student understanding of and engagement in engineering. However, many teachers do not have robust understandings of engineering and their students may not have opportunities to engage in engineering. The COVID-19 Pandemic has likely further decreased opportunities for elementary students to engage in engineering as their teachers grappled with reduced contact time, integration of new technologies and pedagogical approaches, and remote/virtual learning. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe how an elementary teacher attended to engineering instruction during virtual learning despite the barriers presented by the pandemic. Aleshia was purposefully selected from a larger sample of 22 grade K-6 teachers because she included engineering in her virtual instruction. Data sources, including interviews, surveys, observations, and lesson artifacts were analyzed using an inductive approach in which the teacher's data corpus was holistically analyzed and interpreted to make meaning and answer the research question (Merriam, 1998). Aleshia's case demonstrates how an elementary teacher leveraged the affordances of digital technology to engage students in engineering design tasks despite the barriers presented by the pandemic. Aleshia's high baseline confidence and beliefs about technology integration may explain why she was able to implement technology-enhanced engineering instruction during virtual instruction. The results have implications for the design and development of PD to support engineering integration into elementary science teaching and the importance of developing elementary teachers' confidence integrating technology into instruction. Ultimately, Aleshia's case demonstrates the resilience, resourcefulness, and creativity of an elementary teacher integrating engineering instruction during the COVID-19 Pandemic when supported through PD initiatives that include a coaching component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we examine the reported beliefs of two elementary science teachers who co-taught a four-week engineering project in which students used a computational model to design engineering solutions to reduce water runoff at their school (Lilly et al., 2020). Specifically, we explore the beliefs that elementary science teachers report while enacting an engineering project in two different classroom contexts and how they report that their beliefs may have affected instructional decisions. Classroom contexts included one general class with a larger proportion of students in advanced mathematics and one inclusive class with a larger proportion of students with individualized educational programs. During project implementation, we collected daily surveys and weekly interviews to consider teachers' beliefs of the class sections, classroom activities, and curriculum. Two researchers performed a thematic analysis of the surveys and interviews to code reflections on teachers' perceived differences between students in the class sections and their experiences teaching engineering in the class sections. Results suggest that teachers' beliefs about students in these two different classroom contexts may have influenced opportunities that students had to understand and engage in disciplinary practices. The teachers reported making changes to activities based on their perceptions of student understanding and engagement and to save time which led to different experiences for students in each class section, specifically a more teacher-centered implementation for the inclusive class. Teachers also suggested specific professional development and educative supports to help teachers to support all students to engage in engineering tasks. Thus, it is important to understand teachers' beliefs to build support for teachers in their implementation of engineering projects that meet the needs of their students and ensure that students have access and support to engage in engineering practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this comparative case study is to analyze the highly complex practice of implementing instructional activities and classroom organizational structures of five grade four teachers learning to teach science using engineering design. Using the theoretical framework of ambitious teaching, researchers identify core instructional practices that align with national science academic standards and the tenets of engineering design to analyze teachers' pedagogical actions of leveraging student thinking during design. Data were gathered via formal multi-day classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, teacher reflections, and student work (i.e., design notebook entries, artifacts, and performance on unit assignments). Observation data were analyzed using event mapping of core instructional practices across time within one design task. Data timelines offered a visual comparison of the range of activities over time as well as the approximate length of each. Segments of data for each classroom event map were classified and labeled based on explicit engineering design phases expressed in the teacher's instruction as well as discrete instructional activities enacted by the teacher. Data from interviews, reflection and student work were analyzed using content analysis. Triangulation of all data sets ensured confirmation of recurring patterns and emerging themes about how elementary school teachers approximate their practices with elements of ambitious engineering design-based pedagogies. Results indicated that teachers' approximations of practice are tied directly to the content, goals, and implicit nature of the design tasks as well as how teachers specify and explicate the structure and complexity of their teaching practice. Findings from this work serve as a new set of working considerations for uncovering teachers' struggles and success in taking up ambitious engineering design-based teaching and establishes an agenda for supporting teacher development with reformed-based science teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the impact of several critical curriculum design parts on student learning of engineering and science concepts at the elementary level. According to the authors, design projects are central, and highlight questions that engage students with the main ideas in science and engineering.

The article describes the Science Learning Integrating Design, Engineering and Robotics (SLIDER) curriculum. The inquiry and project-based learning curriculum uses LEGO MINDSTORM NXT robot kits to teach 8th grade physical science disciplinary content and science and engineering practices within regular middle school physical science classrooms. Students work in teams, and each team has its own dedicated LOGO NXT robot.

The article discusses a study which explored the manner in which public design critique processes influenced fifth grade students' peer interaction during collaborative work sessions. It cites the enhancement of engineering education and practices under the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). It also describes the robotic engineering design projects observed in the study, which allowed students to address real-world problems in collaboration with their fellow students.

The article describes a robotics and engineering design course (REDC) developed by a team from Georgia Institute of Technology. The inquiry-based Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Education (STEM) course was designed for use in the 8th grade Engineering & Technology classroom. The REDC course involves the use of engineering manipulatives such as LEGO MINDSTORM robot kits, engineering tools such as the SolidWorks three-dimensional (3-D) modeling software, and 3-D printing.

The article describes literacy and STEM integration activities for elementary education that involves designing a water storage tank for families in Popa Island, Panama.