ENGINEERING IS ELEMENTARY (EiE)

(a program designed by The Museum of Science, Boston and The National Center for Technological Literacy)

Engineering & Technology Lessons for Children

Integrating engineering and technology concepts

and skills with elementary science lessons

Also in this article (scroll down):

• What’s this program about?
• EiE Goal
• Why teach engineering to children?
• Who is behind the concept of EiE?
• Current Classes and Schedule
• To know about what the kids did in previous sessions, Click here.

Engineering for Homeschoolers? by Patty Gomez

The child learns from the experiences she/he is presented with and from the conclusions she/he draws from her/his interaction with information.  Teachers can, creatively and invisibly, design the context in which that process will occur. Stories are often full of great concepts awaiting discovery. Sequence of events will help children create images that explain mechanisms and procedures. I believe in having an active role as a teacher setting a creative and motivating context for the student. Great thinkers and educators all over the world, and in every subject, are re-inventing ways to convey content by using more organic models. As an educator I recognize all the positive signs of re-inventing science and technology education for younger audiences in Engineering is Elementary (EiE)!

EiE offers a multidimensional view into engineering. The units are designed to incorporate geography, ethnic variety, a diversity of problems and their potential solutions in a story form.

Children love stories. Through empathizing with the characters in EiE stories, children will naturally be involved in generating and testing solutions. They do this all the time when playing and just by going through their day. It just so happens that the process of troubleshooting situations and coming up with alternative solutions has a name: Engineering, the creation of technology.

I want to make this great resource available to children in the Homeschool community. So far, 1,021,725 children and 15,660 teachers have been reached by this program all across the US. Let's add ourselves to those numbers! ~ Patty Gomez

For details of current classes, click here.

What’s this program about?

The Engineering is Elementary (EiE) project aims to foster engineering and technological literacy among children. This program integrates engineering and technology concepts and skills with elementary science topics. EiE lessons not only promote K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning, but also connect with literacy and social studies.

Storybooks featuring children from a variety of cultures and backgrounds introduce students to an engineering problem. Students are then challenged to solve a problem similar to that faced by the storybook character. Through a hands-on engineering design challenge, students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics; use their inquiry and problem-solving skills; and tap their creativity as they design, build and improve possible solutions. In the end, students realize that everyone can engineer!

EiE Goal

Increase children's technological literacy

At the elementary school level, technological literacy is defined as acquiring essential understandings and skills that include:

Knowledge (Know about):

• o What engineering and technology are and what engineers do
• o Various fields of engineering
• o Nearly everything in the human world has been touched by engineering
• o Engineering problems have multiple solutions
• o How society influences and is influenced by engineering
• o How technology affects the world (both positively and negatively)
• o Engineers are from all races, ethnicities, and genders

Skills/Experience (Be able to do):

• o Apply the engineering design process
• o Apply science and math in engineering
• o Employ creativity and careful thinking to solve problems
• o Envision one's own abilities as an engineer
• o Troubleshoot and learn from failure
• o Understand the central role of materials and their properties in engineering solutions

Why teach engineering to children?

There are many reasons to introduce children to engineering in elementary level:

• Children are fascinated with building and with taking things apart to see how they work, they engineer informally all the time. By encouraging these explorations in elementary school, we can keep these interests alive. Describing their activities as "engineering" when they are engaged in the natural design process can help children develop positive associations with engineering, and increase their desire to pursue such activities in the future.
• Engineering projects integrate other disciplines. Engaging students in hands-on, real-world engineering experiences can enliven math and science and other content areas. Engineering projects can motivate students to learn math and science concepts by illustrating relevant applications.
• Engineering fosters problem-solving skills, including problem formulation, iteration, testing of alternative solutions, and evaluation of data to guide decisions.
• Engineering embraces project-based learning, encompasses hands-on construction, and sharpens children's abilities to function in three dimensions - all skills that are important for prospering in the modern world.
• Learning about engineering will increase students' awareness of and access to scientific and technical careers. The number of American citizens pursuing engineering is decreasing. Early introduction to engineering can encourage many capable students, especially girls and minorities, to consider it as a career and enroll in the necessary science and math courses in high school.
• Engineering and technological literacy are necessary for the 21st century. As our society increasingly depends on engineering and technology, our citizens need to understand these fields.

Who is behind the concept of EiE?

Engineering is Elementary is a program designed by The Museum of Science, Boston and The National Center for Technological Literacy and is part of the PTC-MIT Consortium Strategies for increasing technological awareness in children.

PTC-MIT Consortium: Maintaining US Competitiveness and Innovation in a Global Economy & Ensuring National Security

This Consortium represents 80 organizations committed to working together, leveraging interests and investments to ensure a robust and reliable science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) pipeline that will help secure America’s continued competitiveness, innovation and national security in a global knowledge economy, and provide opportunities for individuals, families and regions to take advantage of the many opportunities the STEM workforce has to offer.

The PTC-MIT Consortium has significant geographic reach and connections to communities that implement change at the local level. Its member constituents across the US include federal & state agencies corporations, professional societies, higher education, K-12 education, groups serving minorities and women, persons with disabilities, informal science centers and community education programs.

Boston Museum of Science is a Member of the PTC-MIT Consortium Working Group.

Current Classes and Schedule: Click here.

To know about what the kids did in previous sessions, Click here.