Lesko, Holly Larson, Grohs, Jacob R., Matusovich, Holly M., Kirk, Gary R., Carrico, Cheryl, van Montfrans, Veronica, Gillen, Andrew L., Paradise, Tawni, Williams, Sarah Anne, and Baum, Liesl
This project, Virginia Tech Partnering with Educators and Engineers in Rural Schools (VT PEERS) focuses on the collaborative design, implementation, and study of a series of hands-on engineering activities with middle school youth in three rural communities in or near Appalachia. Launching our project has involved coordination across stakeholder groups to understand distinct values, goals, strengths and needs within these unique communities. In the first academic year, we are working with nine (9) different sixth grade science teachers across seven (7) schools in three (3) counties. The aim of this engagement-in-practice paper is to document our lessons learned in navigating the day-to-day challenges of (1) developing and facilitating curriculum at the intersection of science standards, hands-on activities, cultural relevancy, and engineering thinking, (2) collaborating with industry and university volunteers to design and deliver content in each science class, and (3) adapting to emergent needs that arise due to school, division, and community differences across three counties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]