Bringing Engineering into Middle
Schools: Learning Science and
Math through Guided Inquiry and
Engineering Design
Larry G. Richards
Christine Guy Schnittka
University of Virginia
ASEE K -12 Workshop
Chicago, Illinois
June 16, 2006
Introductions
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Who are you?
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Name
From where?
Subjects taught
Teaching for how long?
Who are we?
To begin
A few questions
Name some famous scientists
Name some famous engineers
Do you know?
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Dean Kamen
Burt Rutan
Ray Kurtzweil
Carver Mead
Bill Gates
Alan Kay
Dave Kelley (IDEO)
Some major engineering
achievements
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20. High performance materials
19. Nuclear technologies
18. Laser and fiber optics
17. Petroleum and petrochemical
technologies
16. Health technologies
Some major engineering
achievements
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15.
14.
13.
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Household appliances
Imaging
Internet
Spacecraft
Highways
Some major engineering
achievements
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10. Air conditioning and Refrigeration
9. Telephone
8. Computers
7. Agricultural Mechanization
6. Radio and Television
Some major engineering
achievements
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5.
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Electronics
Water supply and distribution
Airplane
Automobile
Electrification
What do scientists do?
What do engineers do?
What is engineering?
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What do engineers do?
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Engineers design and build things.
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Engineers create technology.
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Engineering is different from Science.
Herb Simon
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Science is the study of what is.
Engineering is the creation of
what is to be.
Engineering is different from
science.
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Science
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Discovery
Understanding
Knowledge
Natural world
“The world as we
found it”
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Engineering
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Design
Creating/producing
Technology
Artificial world
The world we create
Design
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The man-made world
The creation of artifacts
Adapting the environment to our needs
and desires
Concern of engineers, architects, and
artists
Design as problem solving
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Given
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Problem specification
Initial conditions
Constraints
Standards/regulations
Find a Solution
Design is creative
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Design problems
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Open-ended
Ill-defined (vague)
Multiple alternatives
Generate lots of solutions
Design is Experimental and
Iterative
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Getting it right takes many tries
The first cut is rarely good enough
Some designs fail
Even if satisfactory, most designs can
be improved
Once it works, refine it
Design cycle
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Requirements, problem
Generate ideas
Initial concept
Rough design
Prototype
Detailed design
Redesign
Design
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The core problem solving process of
technological development
“It is as fundamental to technology as
inquiry is to science or reading is to
language arts”
Serious Problems in Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math Education
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Declining enrollments in engineering
programs
Numbers of women and minority students in
engineering are not representative of general
population
Lower science and math test scores of US
high school students with respect to the rest
of the industrial world
Technological illiteracy
What does it take to become
an engineer?
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Math
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Science
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Creativity
VMSEEI
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The Virginia Middle Schools Engineering
Education Initiative (VMSEEI) will
design, implement, test and evaluate
“engineering teaching kits” to be used
by teachers and student teachers to
facilitate engineering instruction in
middle schools.
Engineering Teaching Kits
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The engineering teaching kits (ETKs)
will allow teachers to instruct students
on selected engineering concepts and
procedures within the context of
preexisting science and mathematics
classes
Engineering Teaching Kits
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ETKs will include a strong focus on design
and innovation, how things work, how things
are made, and the social and environmental
impacts of technology.
The ETKs will involve active, hands-on,
cooperative learning; students will work in
teams to solve problems and design
solutions.
Each ETK will include
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A student guide explaining key
concepts and methods
A teacher’s guide
Plans for demonstrations and
experiments
Where appropriate a computer-based
component (such as a demonstration or
simulation).
Some concerns
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Meeting state and national standards
(VA SOLs, Massachusetts, NCES,
Benchmarks, ITEA)
Making ETKs Female Friendly
Incorporating ethical, environmental,
aesthetic, cultural and social issues
Conveying the excitement and
importance of engineering
Our current team
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Larry G. Richards: Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering
Chris Schnittka: Curry School PhD Candidate
Randy Bell: Curry School of Education
Students
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Engineering
Education
Teachers from schools in Central Virginia
New senior design course:
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Creativity and New Product
Development
Focused on the design, implementation,
and testing of ETKs
Multidisciplinary teams
Fifth offering: 2006-2007
Designing experiences for
students
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Conceptually structured
Evidence-based
Materials-centered
Project-based
Inquiry-oriented
Under Pressure
The Pressure Begins…
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Assemble tank
Gather materials
Revise and finalize lesson plans
Test all activities
Teacher meetings
The Tank…
Materials…
Lesson Plans and Worksheets
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Day 1: Density
Day 2: Buoyant Force, Drag,
Propulsion
Day 3: Preliminary Vehicle Design
and Construction
Day 4: Testing and Revision of
Vehicle Designs
Day 5: Final Testing Day
Teacher Meeting
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Met with Arlene
Terrell, Karen
Power, and Bill
Sterrett
Went over supplies
needed, lesson
plans, logistics
The Pressure Mounts…
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Day 1: Density
Coke vs. Diet Coke
intro
Finding Mass and
Volume
Why do things
float?
Density Graph
The Pressure Continues…
Day 2: Buoyant Force, Drag, Propulsion
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Forces acting on an object moving
through water
Three stations, one for each
concept
Buoyant Force
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Illustrated apparent
loss of weight when
an object is
submerged
A force pushes up on
an object when
submerged
Neutral Buoyancy
Drag
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Illustrated
orientation of an
object in a fluid
effects force on
object, i.e. drag
Students timed
objects moving
through honey
Propulsion
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Reviewed
Newton’s
Laws
emphasizing
the third law
Conducted
balloon demo
Applied Pressure…
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Day 3 & 4: Design and Construction of
Underwater Vehicle
Introduce engineering design
process and problem statement
Calculate mass and volume
necessary to make submersible
neutrally buoyant
Start building!
The Pressure Peaks…
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Day 5: Final Competition
Each team demonstrates their
vehicle’s capabilities
Success is determined by
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Vehicle being neutrally buoyant
Ability to pass through rings
The Pressure Release…
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What We Learned
Emphasize engineering
Uniform engineering design
process
Time constraints
One teacher not enough?
Group Dynamics
Ra Power
Solar model car design
RECENT SIGNIFICANT SOLAR APPLICATIONS
Clockwise from top left: The UVA Solar Car Team, The UVA Solar House, The UVA Solar Airship,
The International Space Station, NASA Sojourner Rover.
HOW DOES A SOLAR CAR WORK?
HOW IT WORKS
Energy Transfer:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Light hits the Solar Cell.
Light Energy gets converted to Electrical
Energy (Voltage and Current) through the
Solar Cell.
The Motor converts the Electrical Energy to
Mechanical Energy.
Directly or through Gears or Pulleys the
Mechanical Energy drives the wheels.
THE COMPETITION – “THE WORLD’S STRONGEST MODEL SOLAR CAR”
An interesting twist on the overdone solar car drag race –
Students will be asked to build a car based on power rather
than speed. The winning car will be the one that pulls the
most weight.
Ra Power
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Your turn to design and build a model
solar car.
Solar cells
Motors
Wheels
Car bodies
Ra Power
Go to it!
Ra Power
The design competition
Ra Power
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What did you learn from this
experience?
Can you see a project like this working
in your class?
Another (abbreviated) ETK
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Catapults In Action: Projectile motion
Base structures
Springs
Bolts
Tasks
Build a catapult that can be modified to
achieve accuracy or distance.
Other ETKs
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The Green Team: Sustainable Design
S.M.A.R.F.: Simple Machines
Brainiacs: Brain tumor treatment
technology; gels and brain perfusion
Destructural Mechanics: Engineering
materials and the design of structures
Other ETKs
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Pump – It – Up: Human circulatory system
functioning, heart disease, fluid flow, and
artificial heart pumps
Alternative Energy Resources: Primarily wind
power
Losing Stability: Designing and building stable
floating structures
Aerospace Engineering: planes and rockets
Other ETKs
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Bio - Mech - a – Tek: designing devices to achieve
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Get Stressed: building bridges from everyday
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Sustainable House Design: construction, insulation,
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Crane Corp: Simple Machines for complex tasks
armfunctions
materials
energy sources, water and waste management
Other ETKs
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Aspects of the Crash: protecting vehicle
occupants
Filtering Ideas: Water Filtration
HoverHoos: Hovercraft design
Crash and Burn: Cars racing off a ramp.
Roller Coaster Physics: keeping marbles
on track on curves and hills
Transformers: Energy Transformation
Your turn
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Questions???
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Comments!!!
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Suggestions…
Turning Projects into Products
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Student teams –
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Classroom trials
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initial concepts and materials
Feedback from Students
Feedback from teachers
Teacher reactions
Test environments
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Middle school classes
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Summer Enrichment Program
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Introduction to Engineering Summer Program
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After school programs
Our pedagogical approach
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Directed inquiry
Well defined concepts to be mastered
We lead the students through the
process of discovery
Embedded authentic assessment
Reflection
Engineering emphasis
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Hands-on experimentation
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Lab sheets – fill in the details
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Measurement, data analysis and display
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Design challenge
You have seen our approach
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What topics in your curriculum should
we address with ETKs?
What concepts or problems can you
think for which the engineering design
approach makes sense?
Our sponsors
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Payne Family Foundation
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National Science Foundation
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NSF – ECC – 0230609
Bridges to Engineering Education