The Knowles Academy offers state-of-the-art professional development experiences for teachers. All Academy courses are designed and facilitated by experienced teachers who understand the complexities of teaching in today’s world.
Through this Knowles Academy course, teachers will learn to use engineering design to teach students math and/or science content, and inspire and equip them to solve real-world problems.
Engaging Math and Science Students in Engineering Design
Endorsed by the American Society for Engineering Education, this year-long, professional development course offers 12 months of coaching and support for teachers aiming to integrate engineering design in their classrooms. Initiated by a week-long, in-person workshop, this program will assist teachers in gaining the knowledge and confidence needed to implement engineering design challenges that inspire their students to apply math and science concepts to solve real-world problems.
Course Objectives:
- Experience the engineering design process and develop a framework for your classroom
- Learn how to encourage engineering mindsets in students
- Discuss the differences between engineering design facilitation and traditional math and science instruction
- Discuss ethics in engineering with a professional engineer
- Prepare for NGSS implementation of engineering-integration instruction by designing and peer teaching your own content-integrated engineering design lessons
Agenda:
Teachers will receive one year of coaching that is initiated by a week-long, in-person workshop.
Day 1: What is engineering design?
- Define community norms and set personal goals
- Engage in two math and science content-based engineering design challenges
- Co-construct your own diagram of the engineering design process
- Investigate engineering design facilitation
- Conceptualize and reflect on the traits of an engineer
- Revisit and reflect on personal goals
Day 2: How will engineering design work in my classroom?
- Experience the facilitator’s own engineering design challenge
- Iterate engineering design diagram
- Explore two Knowles engineering design planning and teaching tools—the Slices activity to help conceptualize engineering design in discrete moments of instruction, and the Low-hanging fruit tool for identifying content and lessons that are “ripe” for engineering integration
- Revisit and reflect on personal goals
Day 3: How can I evaluate engineering design challenges and instruction?
- Compare engineering design diagrams (affordances and tradeoffs)
- Engage in an engineering design challenge
- Dialogue with an engineer or engineering education guest speaker
- Analyze the four completed engineering design challenges using the Knowles Engineering Complexity Rubric
- Iterate your engineering design diagram
- Plan a content-based engineering design challenge to present on Day 4
Day 4: How will I teach and assess engineering design?
- Edit a digitized, graphic-designed version of your engineering design diagram
- Facilitate your content-based engineering design challenge and debrief
- Discuss ethics in engineering related to students and the broader world
- Practice assessing the work of the facilitator’s own students
- Plan engineering-integrated lessons for your local context
Day 5: How will I use engineering design this year?
- Solve content-based engineering design challenges and debrief
- Plan for engineering-integrated math and science instruction with planning partner and receive feedback from critical friends
- Practice participating in a “Virtual Pizza Party” with your continuation coach, a teacher familiar with using engineering design in their content math or science classroom, and discuss next steps
- Complete final reflection on personal goals
After the Workshop:
- Receive a poster of your final engineering design diagram for your classroom
- Receive personalized monthly emails from your coach
- Enjoy two “Virtual Pizza Parties”—online meetings with your coach where we send you pizza! Typically, one meeting is usually held before your first engineering design implementation and one after.
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Upcoming Course
Dates: June 11–15, 2018
Time: 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (coffee and lunch will be provided)
Location: Denver, Colorado
Price: $1,000
Optional Graduate Course Credit Available – Additional Fees Apply
Upcoming Course
Dates: June 25–29, 2018
Time: 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (lunch and snacks will be provided)
Location: Oregon, Wisconsin
Price: $1,000
Optional Graduate Course Credit Available – Additional Fees Apply
Upcoming Course
Dates: July 20–24, 2018
Time: 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (coffee and lunch will be provided)
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Price: $1,000
Optional Graduate Course Credit Available – Additional Fees Apply
Academy Services
All Knowles Academy courses can be customized to meet the specific needs of schools and/or districts. Please use the below form to request information about custom services.
Resource Downloads
Finding the Low Hanging Fruit (How to identify activities that are ripe for the integration of engineering)
