Friday, July 31
Describe something that you’ve learned as a result of your fellowship that will change how you teach this year.
The Engineering Design Process (EDP) is a method which I learned as a result of my fellowship. It is the process by which engineers or engineering students approach problem-solving. In the past we used the Scientific Method for solving problems. This EDP facilitates the process of critical thinking and evaluation on the part of the students. There are no pre-set answers to any problems and students must rely on their own understanding and their ability to access knowledge to define problems, brainstorm solutions and collaborate with their partner(s) to fins solutions.
How did this experience change your outlook as an educator?
One of the goals which teachers desire is for students to take responsibility for their own learning. The Engineering Design Process lends itself very well to this goal. Once students are taught the process, they can follow the steps outlined and adapt the steps to their own problems. When students proceed properly, it increases their self-confidence to solve problems. As students matriculate through the process, they learn to become better negotiators about their ideas, have patience and respect for their team’s ideas and work to collaborate their combined ideas into a useful product.
- Did it open you up to new possibilities? Please list some of those possibilities.
The use of this process in the classroom requires more flexibility on the part of the teacher; one never can imagine all the ideas that will arise from students to solve their problem. The teacher must be willing to get students to be as precise and concise in their explanations about the solutions. Students must also be as realistic as possible about their resources required to complete their project within defined time constraints. I am bringing in all of my experiences which I encountered while completing my project with my mentor. I am conscious of their frustrations and feelings of insecurity as they work through the steps to complete their process.
On the other hand, think of the limitless amount of possibilities: so many different ways to solve problems. All of them bring their own collections of ideas to solve problems and using their members as sounding boards to determine an approach that is practical and probable. I have worked with students with science fairs for many years. This approach is very similar in that I, the teacher, will learn so much about them and their projects. Growth for all: win-win situations.
- What will you do differently as an educator?
As an educator, I want to be sure to provide the foundation that is needed for students to understand why they are completing their projects, through the powerpoints that were shared with us. I will make modifications for their level of understanding and give them lots of practice in understanding these concepts. We are keeping an engineering journal in my Nanotechnology / Robotics Class, so that they walk away with a journal of their activities and their thoughts. Students already keep an interactive notebook in my core classes, They will simply incorporate this knowledge into the lesson. I will bring in outside speakers to share their expertise and bring this knowledge to life, making it more meaningful to them.
To prepare my students for this lesson, I created my own poster, a student notes guide and modelled the process before allowing students to work through their own problems. I selected materials which allowed them to use their creativity in problem-solving and encouraged them to take risks to solve the problem; thus promoting a sense of confidence in their problem-solving approach. Students were more willing to use this approach after they had achieved success through my modeling.
- Did it affirm any ideals that you may have already had? If so, how so? No, this Engineering Design Process is new to me. What was also surprising was that many students have already been using this process to solve problems, even at the middle school level. This process is ideal for teaching STEM Concepts to all students and works well for facilitating critical thinking and analysis in problem-solving. I want my students to be better problem-solvers and this approach will help them develop the skills needed to be successful in this process.