Bringing Engineering into Middle Schools: Learning Science and Math through Guided Inquiry and Engineering Design

Larry G. Richards

Christine Guy Schnittka University of VirginiaASEE K -12 Workshop

Chicago, IllinoisJune 16, 2006

Introductions Who are you?

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? Dean Kamen Burt Rutan Ray Kurtzweil Carver Mead Bill Gates Alan Kay Dave Kelley (IDEO)

Some major engineering achievements 20. High performance materials 19. Nuclear technologies 18. Laser and fiber optics 17. Petroleum and petrochemical

technologies 16. Health technologies

Some major engineering achievements 15. Household appliances 14. Imaging 13. Internet 12. Spacecraft 11. Highways

Some major engineering achievements 10. Air conditioning and

Refrigeration 9. Telephone 8. Computers 7. Agricultural Mechanization 6. Radio and Television

Some major engineering achievements 5. Electronics 4. Water supply and distribution 3. Airplane 2. Automobile 1. Electrification

What do scientists do?

What do engineers do?

What is engineering? What do engineers do?

Engineers design and build things.

Engineers create technology.

Engineering is different from Science.

Herb Simon

Science is the study of what is.

Engineering is the creation of what is to be.

Engineering is different from science. Science

Discovery Understanding Knowledge Natural world “The world as we

found it”

Engineering Design Creating/

producing Technology Artificial world The world we

create

Design 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 Given

Problem specification Initial conditions Constraints Standards/regulations

Find a Solution

Design is creative Design problems

Open-ended Ill-defined (vague) Multiple alternatives Generate lots of solutions

Design is Experimental and Iterative 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 Requirements, problem Generate ideas Initial concept Rough design Prototype Detailed design Redesign

Design 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

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? Math

Science

Creativity

VMSEEI 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 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 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 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 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 Larry G. Richards: Mechanical and Aerospace

Engineering Chris Schnittka: Curry School PhD Candidate Randy Bell: Curry School of Education Students

Engineering Education

Teachers from schools in Central Virginia

New senior design course: Creativity and New Product

Development Focused on the design,

implementation, and testing of ETKs

Multidisciplinary teams Fifth offering: 2006-2007

Designing experiences for Designing experiences for studentsstudents Conceptually structured Evidence-based Materials-centered Project-based Inquiry-oriented

Under Pressure

The Pressure Begins… Assemble tank Gather materials Revise and finalize lesson plans Test all activities Teacher meetings

The Tank…

Materials…

Lesson Plans and Worksheets 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 Met with Arlene

Terrell, Karen Power, and Bill Sterrett

Went over supplies needed, lesson plans, logistics

The Pressure Mounts…

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

Forces acting on an object moving through water

Three stations, one for each concept

Buoyant Force

Illustrated apparent loss of weight when an object is submerged

A force pushes up on an object when submerged

Neutral Buoyancy

Drag

Illustrated orientation of an object in a fluid effects force on object, i.e. drag

Students timed objects moving through honey

Propulsion

Reviewed Newton’s Laws emphasizing the third law

Conducted balloon demo

Applied Pressure…

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…

Day 5: Final Competition Each team demonstrates their

vehicle’s capabilities Success is determined by

Vehicle being neutrally buoyant Ability to pass through rings

The Pressure Release…

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 IT WORKS

1. Light hits the Solar Cell.2. Light Energy gets converted to Electrical

Energy (Voltage and Current) through the Solar Cell.

3. The Motor converts the Electrical Energy to Mechanical Energy.

4. Directly or through Gears or Pulleys the Mechanical Energy drives the wheels.

HOW DOES A SOLAR CAR WORK?

Energy Transfer:

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 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 What did you learn from this

experience?

Can you see a project like this working in your class?

Another (abbreviated) ETK Catapults In Action: Projectile motion Base structures Springs Bolts Tasks Build a catapult that can be modified

to achieve accuracy or distance.

Other ETKs 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 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 Bio - Mech - a – Tek: designing devices to

achieve armfunctions  

Get Stressed: building bridges from everyday materials   

Sustainable House Design: construction, insulation, energy sources, water and waste management   

Crane Corp: Simple Machines for complex tasks

Other ETKs     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 Questions???

Comments!!!

Suggestions…

Turning Projects into Products Student teams –

initial concepts and materials

Classroom trials Feedback from Students Feedback from teachers

Teacher reactions

Test environments Middle school classes

Summer Enrichment Program

Introduction to Engineering Summer Program

After school programs

Our pedagogical approach Directed inquiry Well defined concepts to be

mastered We lead the students through the

process of discovery Embedded authentic assessment Reflection

Engineering emphasis Hands-on experimentation

Lab sheets – fill in the details

Measurement, data analysis and display

Design challenge

You have seen our approach 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 Payne Family Foundation

National Science Foundation NSF – ECC – 0230609 Bridges to Engineering Education