Providing an engineering design model for secondary teachers

Abstract

The Texas Tech University (Texas-Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) T-STEM Center develops and offers professional development workshops for K-12 teachers in the engineering design process. Although, for many years we have offered workshops in varied areas such as LEGO Robotics, rocketry, GLOBE, FOSS and PASCO, our aim is to provide teachers exciting and innovative ways to teach science, math and technology so teachers and students might see a direct correlation between the subject and engineering disciplines. By developing an engineering design model that is accessible to secondary teachers who have little or no background in engineering, teachers see how engineering crosses disciplines and can be addressed in any discipline. The Texas Tech Engineering Design Model uses project-based and problem-based learning as the underpinnings for introducing teachers to the design process in an approachable model that becomes more elegant in application as the model is used to solve problems.