Nature of Science and Engineering Day 1: Engineering

Overview

Teachers will acquire essential knowledge and skills in order to teach engineering to their students. Teachers will learn how to integrate engineering with science and mathematics concepts.

Activity 1: What is Engineering?

Teachers will become familiar with engineering as context while looking at the question, “What is Engineering?” Discussion on students’ misconceptions of what engineers do will be held.

Activity 2: Save the Penguins

Creating an engaging context is an effective way of teaching engineering. The context of the Save the Penguins activity is protecting the environment from climate change. Teachers will work with an Engineering Teaching Kit (ETK) from University of Virginia that requires them to complete this problem-solving activity. In the activity, teachers will apply the Engineering Design Process.
Upon completion of the 5 days (6 hours each day) of training, teachers will:

• have a deeper understanding of the MN Science Standards
• be able to identify key learning points for various science and engineering ideas
• have established a repertoire of questioning techniques to help guide student learning
• have learned enhanced methods of listening and assessing student thinking

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Activity 1 and 2 align to the following Minnesota Science Education Standards: *download the MN Science Education Standards here.

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