subject: In The Classroom: Stem - Science Education A Misrepresentation [print this page] A comprehensive 234-page report, "Engineering in K-12 Education: Understanding the Status and Improving the Prospects," results from a two-year study under the auspices of the National Academy of Engineering and the Board on Science Education at the Center for Education, part of the National Research Council.
A committee of experts on diverse subjects has attempted to determine the scope of efforts to teach engineering in elementary and secondary schools. Issues include types of curricula and professional development; how engineering education interacts with science, technology, and mathematics; and the impact of initiatives.
No reliable data are available on the precise number of U.S. K-12 students who have been exposed to engineering-related coursework. Most formal K-12 engineering programs in the U.S. emerged in the early 1990s. Since then, fewer than 6 million students have had some kind of formal engineering education. Enrollment for grades pre-K-12 for U.S. public and private schools in 2008 was nearly 56 million.
According to committee member Robin Willner, vice president, Global Community Initiatives, IBM, "we looked at hundreds of cases. An intriguing finding was that engaging young people in hands-on projects in engineering and design provides effective ways for them to learn core math and science concepts."
Committee chair Linda P. B. Katehi, chancellor of the University of California, Davis, believes that "Engineering in K-12 Education: Understanding the Status and Improving the Prospects" improves understanding of engineering across the board. Noting that students make up their minds by fifth grade if they like math and science, she says, "We couldn't find much work on how early kids understand a design process (and it has to be designed appropriately). We suggest introducing engineering experiences very early in the process. Teacher learning will be critical. Although 18,000 teachers have had in-service experience, we need many more to use problem-solving."
M. David Burghardt, co-director of Hofstra University Center for Technological Literacy, a professor of engineering and author of 11 books on engineering and secondary-school technology education, sees the report as gaining the attention of people interested in K-12 engineering. "It's a great step forward. If we think of 'engineering for everyone,' what that means is not known; we need a better lens on technology in the world we live in."
Alan G. Gomez, who teaches at the University of Wisconsin College of Engineering and an engineering instructor and career and technical education coordinator for Sun Prairie Area School District, says, "This is a first step in organizing. For ten or fifteen years, people have been thinking about it, but this is the infancy of the movement."
CONNECTING DISCIPLINES
Regarding the question of whether engineering should be taught as a single subject or used as a catalyst for interconnected STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education, UW's Gomez says, "There's a need for integration into existing courses versus stand-alones. It's additive in nature, integrating content. We want to have more engineers, yes, but let's capture all students."
Right now, STEM education doesn't show natural connections among the four subjects. Committee chair Katehi says, "Engineering and technology have never really played a role in STEM; engineering could be the integrator."
Greg Pearson, project study director and senior program officer at the National Academy of Engineering, points out, "STEM is an acronym used casually today as a synonym for science education-a misrepresentation of STEM. Engineering as a subject of interest and usefulness gets lost. However, the number of engineering-related programs has increased from zero 20 years ago to a small but significant number. A purpose of the study is to open people's eyes to hidden potential."
Recommendations regarding curriculum, policy, and funding (see sidebar), plus an analysis of K-12 engineering curricula, are presented along with a look at cognitive sciences about student learning of engineering-related concepts and several case studies. From several dozen engineering curricula and programs, 15 detailed curriculum analyses are presented.
Will K-12 engineering education heighten awareness of engineering and the work of engineers, increasing an interest in engineering careers, and will it increase technological literacy of students? The goal is not specifically to produce engineers, but to integrate design concepts within STEM programs. The learning standards aren't developed, and guidance for teacher professional development is limited. There are no national and statelevel assessments of student accomplishment. No single clearinghouse collects relevant information.
ISSUES AND OBJECTIVES
Issues include methods of teaching engineering, available material and curricula, and interaction among STEM subjects. UW's Gomez says, "Teachers are already swamped, and they will not buy into the rationale of a stand-alone course."
The committee conducted literature reviews in areas of related conceptual learning, and development of engineering skills and their impact, and collected information on some precollege engineering education programs in other countries.
One objective was to provide guidance to stakeholders regarding creation and implementation of K-12 engineering curricula and instruction, focusing on connection among STEM disciplines.
Other objectives were to survey current and past efforts to implement engineering-related K-12 instructional materials and curricula in the U.S. and other nations; review evidence related to their impact; describe ways in which content has incorporated science, technology, and mathematics; and report on intended learning outcomes of the initiatives, taking into account student age, curriculum focus, and program orientation, and which policies and programs might come into play at different governmental levels.
AREAS OF AGREEMENT
There is a consensus that an emphasis be placed on engineering design, as well as incorporate appropriate math and science skills through varied technology tools.
The promotion of engineering "habits of mind" was suggested. Many people believe these are essential skills for citizens in the 21st century-systems thinking, creativity, optimism, collaboration, communication, and attention to ethical considerations.
According to the committee's vision for STEM education, all students who graduate from high school will have a level of STEM literacy that ensures their successful employment, postsecondary education, or both. They will be prepared to be competent, capable citizens in a technology-dependent, democratic society. Natural connections of engineering to science, mathematics, and technology enable it to be a catalyst to achieve this vision. Integrated STEM education could improve teaching and learning in all STEM subjects, leading to reevaluation of "currently excessive expectations for STEM teachers and students."
Finally, for engineering education to become a mainstream component of K-12 education, there needs to be much more, and much better, outcomes-based data.
Hofstra's Burghardt notes that professional organizations have been "pushing at the fringes" of these issues; he hopes for forthcoming collaborations. "Integrating engineering concepts allows us to have authentic tasks to apply reasoning to. We need to see what it looks like at different grade levels. Connect the technology and design as a unifying thread."
