Engineering in K-12 Education

Understanding the Status and Improving the Prospects

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• Publisher: National Academies Press
• Year: 2009
• eBook ISBN:
  9780309137799
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Education

Engineering education in K-12 classrooms is a small but growing phenomenon that may have implications for engineering and also for the other STEM subjects--science, technology, and mathematics. Specifically, engineering education may improve student learning and achievement in science and mathematics, increase awareness of engineering and the work of engineers, boost youth interest in pursuing engineering as a career, and increase the technological literacy of all students. The teaching of STEM subjects in U.S. schools must be improved in order to retain U.S. competitiveness in the global economy and to develop a workforce with the knowledge and skills to address technical and technological issues.Engineering in K-12 Education reviews the scope and impact of engineering education today and makes several recommendations to address curriculum, policy, and funding issues. The book also analyzes a number of K-12 engineering curricula in depth and discusses what is known from the cognitive sciences about how children learn engineering-related concepts and skills.Engineering in K-12 Education will serve as a reference for science, technology, engineering, and math educators, policy makers, employers, and others concerned about the development of the country's technical workforce. The book will also prove useful to educational researchers, cognitive scientists, advocates for greater public understanding of engineering, and those working to boost technological and scientific literacy.

Table of contents

• FrontMatter
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Contents
• List of Acronyms
• Summary
• 1 Introduction
• 2 What Is Engineering?
• 3 The Case for K–12 Engineering Education
• 4 The Current State of K–12 Engineering Education
• 5 Teaching and Learning Core Engineering Concepts and Skills in Grades K–12
• 6 Findings and Recommendations
• Appendix A: Committee Biographies
• Appendix B: Curriculum Projects—Descriptive Summaries
• Appendix C: Curriculum Projects—Detailed Analyses
• Building Math
• City Technology
• Design and Discovery
• Engineering Is Elementary
• Engineering the Future
• Ford Partnership for Advance Studies
• Full Option Science System
• The Infinity Project
• Invention Innovation Inquiry
• Materials World Modules
• PLTW - Gateway to Tech
• PLTW - Intro Eng Design
• A World in Motion - Elem
• A World in Motion - Middle
• Young Scientist Series