Implementing Engineering and Sustainability Curriculum in K-12 Education

Proceedings of the ASME 2013 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition IMECE2013 November 15-21, 2013, San Diego, California, USA IMECE2013-66693 IMPLEMENTING ENGINEERING AND SUSTAINABILITY CURRICULUM IN K-12 EDUCATION Stefanie L Robinson Department of Mechanical Engineering University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California, USA SLR@me.berkeley.edu ABSTRACT Introducing students to engineering concepts in early education is critical, as literature has shown that students' degree of comfort and acceptance of science and technology is developed very early on in their education. While introducing engineering as a potential profession in K-12 classrooms has its own merits, it has also proven itself to be useful as a teaching tool. Engineering can lend itself to concepts that can engage students in critical thinking, problem solving, as well as the development of math and science skills. In engineering higher education there has been an increased focus on industrial ecology and sustainability in order to help students understand the environmental and social context within today’s society. The authors of this paper discuss the importance of these attributes when introducing engineering to K-12 students. Engineering and sustainability are not two mutually exclusive concepts, but sustainability should be considered throughout the practice of the engineering discipline. The ADEPT (Applied Design Engineering Project Teams) program at the University of California, Berkeley was established to design and deploy a standards-based engineering curriculum for middle schools and high schools (grades 6-12) designed to integrate mathematics and science concepts in applied engineering projects, inspire secondary students, and strengthen the classroom experience of current and future faculty in math, science, and engineering. This paper discusses the importance of introducing engineering and sustainability in K-12 classrooms. Example modules that were developed through the ADEPT program are presented as well as a set of recommendations that were designed as a guideline for educators to incorporate engineering and sustainability in K-12 classrooms. While the module discussed here was designed for middle school students, the curriculum and criteria recommended can be adapted to primary and secondary education programs. Jennifer A Mangold Department of Mechanical Engineering University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California, USA jam@me.berkeley.edu INTRODUCTION While many high school programs continue to introduce students to science, engineering, and technology, studies have shown that students' degree of comfort and openness to these subjects are developed very early on in their education [1, 2]. Despite these efforts, many students are unaware of what engineers do and therefore do not consider engineering as a career possibility, compared to other professions such as law or medicine. While introducing engineering as a profession in K- 12 classrooms has its own merits, it has also proven itself to be useful as a teaching tool. Engineering lends itself to concepts that can engage students in critical thinking, problem solving, as well as the development of math and science skills. However; it can be difficult for teachers to develop engineering curriculum for the classroom due to time constraints, limited access to resources, and lack of knowledge about the benefits and potential success of this topic in the classroom. In addition, teachers and students may hold misconceptions about engineering-- that it is too challenging or beyond the ability of students in lower grade levels. To address these issues, the ADEPT (Applied Design Engineering Project Teams) program at the University of California, Berkeley was established to design and deploy a standards-based engineering curriculum for middle schools and high schools (grades 6-12) designed to integrate mathematics and science concepts applied in engineering projects, inspire secondary students, and strengthen the classroom experience of current and future faculty in math, science, and engineering. This program was funded by a National Science Foundation Graduate STEM fellows in K-12 education grant. ADEPT curriculum development teams combined the best of inquiry and activity-based teaching and learning with cutting edge university research and resources. Each team was made up of local school teachers (Teacher Fellows), graduate students (Graduate Engineering Fellows), university faculty, and Downloaded From: http://proceedings.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ on 07/16/2014 Terms of Use: http://asme.org/terms Copyright © 2013 by ASME