Kindergartener with KEVA Planks
Children love doing. Young children are naturally curious about the human made world they live in. they are interested in how things work and how they can change or control the way things work. They love planning, creating, building and making. Playtime in early years often consists of making secret hiding places out of blankets and chairs, dollhouses from shoeboxes, or castles and forts from building blocks. These types of play experiences naturally lead children to become problem solvers, creative thinkers, and modifiers of their world. These ways of doing and thinking are components of the engineering design pocess for solving problems.
Our world consists of two parts: the natural world, which is explored by science, and the human-made world., created through technology and engineering.
According to the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (www.iteea.org), technology is “human innovation in action”. Simply put, technology involves changing the natural world to meet human wants and needs.
Engineering is applying math and science concepts to solve practical problems. Problem solving, creative thinking and modification of our world to meet wants and needs are things that designers and engineers as well as children do every day.
Our world consists of two parts: the natural world, which is explored by science, and the human-made world., created through technology and engineering.
According to the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (www.iteea.org), technology is “human innovation in action”. Simply put, technology involves changing the natural world to meet human wants and needs.
Engineering is applying math and science concepts to solve practical problems. Problem solving, creative thinking and modification of our world to meet wants and needs are things that designers and engineers as well as children do every day.
6th Grade Pneumatic Toys
To develop life skills
Immersing students into design activities teaches them to 21st century outcomes, such as creative problem solving, critical thinking, and collaborating and communicating ideas with partners. They learn to analyze, question, elaborate, refine, and evaluate their own ideas in order to improve their creative efforts. They learn to make decisions based on the results of their design and input from their audience.
To become better problem solvers
Students are able to see solutions in both conventional and innovative ways. Students immersed in a design and engineering setting become risk-takers, and begin to see something that didn't work as an opportunity to imagine and create a better solution rather than a frustrating obstacle to over come. They can transfer learning to several subjects and contexts.
To better understand the core curriculum
Students can use design and engineering activities to learn and reinforce core knowledge and skills in a real-time, problem-solving learning environment and gain deeper understanding about the subject they are studying.
To match different learning styles
This type of teaching style can easily be differentiated to accommodate a variety of learning styles. Students take pride and ownership in their own self-learning. Often, students who are not successful in traditional lecture or text-based teaching environments become classroom "stars" in this learning environment.
To develop awareness of design and engineering career possibilities
Integrated design and engineering activities help students develop an awareness of skills and knowledge needed in design and engineering careers. Students gain real insight into skills and knowledge that will be needed in the 21st century global market. As students become involved with design and engineering thinking and skill development, they need to be made aware of how different career choices require or benefit from exposure to design or engineering skills and knowledge.
Immersing students into design activities teaches them to 21st century outcomes, such as creative problem solving, critical thinking, and collaborating and communicating ideas with partners. They learn to analyze, question, elaborate, refine, and evaluate their own ideas in order to improve their creative efforts. They learn to make decisions based on the results of their design and input from their audience.
To become better problem solvers
Students are able to see solutions in both conventional and innovative ways. Students immersed in a design and engineering setting become risk-takers, and begin to see something that didn't work as an opportunity to imagine and create a better solution rather than a frustrating obstacle to over come. They can transfer learning to several subjects and contexts.
To better understand the core curriculum
Students can use design and engineering activities to learn and reinforce core knowledge and skills in a real-time, problem-solving learning environment and gain deeper understanding about the subject they are studying.
To match different learning styles
This type of teaching style can easily be differentiated to accommodate a variety of learning styles. Students take pride and ownership in their own self-learning. Often, students who are not successful in traditional lecture or text-based teaching environments become classroom "stars" in this learning environment.
To develop awareness of design and engineering career possibilities
Integrated design and engineering activities help students develop an awareness of skills and knowledge needed in design and engineering careers. Students gain real insight into skills and knowledge that will be needed in the 21st century global market. As students become involved with design and engineering thinking and skill development, they need to be made aware of how different career choices require or benefit from exposure to design or engineering skills and knowledge.
National Academy of Sciences: STEM Integration in K-12 Education
