Teaching
K-12 Students
GOAL:
To enhance pre-college engineering educational outreach at
Smith College
OBJECTIVE: Develop summer courses and curricula for K-12,
including the Smith
Summer Science and Engineering Program for high school
girls
A
surprising 61 percent of Americans don’t understand
what the engineering profession is about, according to a Harris
poll. A study from Trends in International Mathematics and
Science reports that eighth graders in the U.S. know less
about math and science than they did four years ago.
How
can we encourage Americans to become more educated about science
and engineering? A logical start is bringing engineering into
grades K–12. That approach, says Dr. Glenn Ellis, is
consistent with an increasing national interest in making
engineering part of pre-college education.
Massachusetts is the first state to adopt a Science
and Technology/Engineering Framework for K–12 education.
Yet few teachers are sufficiently familiar with technology
and engineering content—or prepared to include it in
the classroom. In fact, in 2003, there was only one education
program available in Massachusetts offering accreditation
in technology/engineering.
At
Smith, the Engineering and Education Partnership is reaching
out to K–12 teachers to help them learn the concepts
and skills they’ll need to teach technology and engineering.
In
development are:
Engineering
and Education faculty members also work directly with K–12
students in developing hands-on courses for the Smith
College Summer Science and Engineering Program.
Discovering
the Science of Music and Movement. First offered
in summer 2002, the course engaged high school girls in
a series of laboratories and real-life applications in music,
dance, and athletics.
Folding
and Unfolding and Engineering the Future. Folding
and Unfolding was offered in summer 2003, and Engineering
the Future will be introduced in 2004.
