IEEE
Teacher In-Service Program
(TISP)
How to work with the
pre-university education system?
Speaker: Dr. Bill Chau (Engineer and Teacher)
bill.chau@kgv.edu.hk
Shenzhen, China
7 – 8 July 2009
Bridging the Gap
Engineering Professionals
Pre-University Educators
What can
professional
engineers,
engineering
educators, and
engineering
institutions offer?
What do preuniversity (K-12)
school management,
teachers, students,
and parent need,
want, and expect?
Bridging the Gap
Engineering Professionals
What and how
much do
engineering
professionals
understand the
running, needs,
expectations, and
limitations of the
pre-university
education system?
Pre-University Educators
What and how much do
pre-university (K-12)
educators (who normally
do not have an
engineering background)
understand the timely,
meaningful and
organised input of basic
(or sometimes even
advanced) engineering
concepts and hands on
skills can duly enhanced
the teaching experience
of teachers and learning
experience of students?
Common Issues
(Do not understand …)
Engineering professionals may not fully
understand the pre-university education system:
• Curriculum structure and requirement
• Teaching syllabus and assessment criteria
• Differentiation among engineering, general science,
applied science and technology
• Timetabling and resources limitation / allocation
• Teacher expertise and expectations
• Student interests and examination / assignment
relevance
• Parents expectations
Common Issues
(Do not understand …)
Pre-university educators may not fully
understand what and how engineering
professionals can enhance the teaching and
learning with students:
• Engineering content matters embedded into or
integrated with general science / technology / ICT or as a
separate subject
• Extra hardware resources: room, storage space, simple
machines, hand tools, consumables, worksheet, safety
training and equipment
• Extra software resources: teacher training, safety
training, assessment, student report, and school
manpower reallocation
• Logistical and financial matters
What and How to Do …
Engineering professionals may wish to
consider the following guiding principles
based on the resources and expertise that
they have.
What and How to Do …
System level (school management):
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pitching at the right teaching / curriculum level
From simple to complex
Student achievement passport (ongoing log)
Online competition
Public awareness and recognition
National and international competitions
Scholarship
Engineer- / Technologist-in residence
What and How to Do …
System level (school management):
•
•
•
•
On the job / on site visits
Mentoring student projects
Mobile laboratory / Road show
Curriculum planning and learning experience (formal,
informal and non formal) separate subject vs. embedded
in science / design and technology
• Articulated engineering / technology / science modules
(spiral / stack curriculum)
• Individualised engineering / technology / science
modules (discrete curriculum)
What and How to Do …
Operation level (teaching and learning in classroom):
• Ready to use instructional materials (teacher guide,
student worksheet, lesson plan and scheme of work)
• Clear and meaningful curriculum / syllabus mapping or
articulation
• Step by step and easy to understand
• No misconception, safe and fool proof
• Hands on activities (minimum teacher / adult supervision
required)
• Eye catching (e.g. cartoon, animation)
• Simple, quick and short quizzes (question bank)
What and How to Do …
Pre-university educators may wish to explore
what engineering professionals can:
• Enrich and complete the content matters and
provide daily life examples and real engineering
applications
• Enlighten pedagogical strategies
• Facilitate student projects in particular project
planning and management)
• Share and use resources already available to
teaching and learning
What and How to Do …
Engineering Professionals
• No hard feeling and / or
misconception in not
being able to
comprehend the preuniversity curriculum
structure, instruction, and
assessment
• Clearly agreed and
communicated “aims and
objectives”
Pre-University Educators
• No hard feeling and / or
misconception associated with
competence in content matters
or hands on skills
• A form of “streaming” or “prevocational” training (e.g.
engineering pathway in
Australia – Year 10 progress
into apprentice  Certificate I
to IV  associate diploma 
professional diploma 
university Year 1 –
SENSITIVE!!!
• Supplementing and / or
complementing the science
curriculum?
• Or introducing engineering
science?
Other Matters!
• Local and international community networking
and resources (show biotechnology mobile lab,
Technology Exploration Association, Robot
Institute Hong Kong)
• Materials already available from profit-making
and non profit-making organisations (show
catalogues)
• Hands on assembly kits form – lacks teaching
and learning materials and curriculum
articulation
Conclusion
• Bridge the gap and make a better future.
• This is what we engineers always do for
the betterment of the mankind – Engineers
are great!!!!!
Thank you