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Designing the Future: How Engineering Builds Creative Critical Thinkers in the Classroom
Encourage creativity, communication, innovation, and collaboration in students by incorporating engineering design process thinking into existing classwork. Gain strategies for supporting engineering practices that foster creative problem-solving and critical thinking.
Benefits
- Explore the engineering design process (EDP) and unpack its stages: problem definition, research, brainstorming, prototyping, testing, and optimizing.
- Understand how incorporating engineering for students creates a project-based learning environment that encourages essential 21st century skills, including creativity, innovation, and critical thinking.
- Empower students to embrace the fundamentals of engineering design thinking, including: there is always more to learn, your solution will create problems, and there is no one right answer.
- Learn how to develop and adapt engineering design process projects for various grade levels and disciplines.
- Receive reflection tools that will empower you to revise and re-engineer activities and projects.
- Incorporate elements of engineering and STEAM education lesson plans into your current classroom content.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part I: Preparation
Chapter 1: Building an Engineering Design Culture
Chapter 2: Deconstructing the Engineering Design Process
Chapter 3: Designing Projects
Part II: Activities and Projects
Chapter 4: Starting With Activities That Support Engineering Thinking and Skills
Chapter 5: Introducing Projects for Elementary School
Chapter 6: Introducing Projects for Middle and High School
Part III: Reflection
Chapter 7: Reflecting On, Revising, and Optimizing Your Curriculum
Epilogue
Appendix A: Action Plan Summary
Appendix B: Project Planning
Appendix C: Engineering Notebook Forms
PRINTABLE REPRODUCIBLES
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
- Figure 2.4: The Five Ws of Problem Definition—Middle and High School
- Figure 2.5: The Five Ws of Problem Definition—Elementary School
- Figure 2.8: Identifying Constraints and Their Impact
- Figure 2.9: Elementary School Students Decide What They Need to Know
- Figure 2.10: Student-Defined Guidelines for Prototype Function Tests
- Figure 2.11: Student-Defined Questions for Prototype Feedback Tests
- Figure 2.12: Project Summary and Reflection Form
- Figure 2.13: Questions and Prompts for Written Failure Analysis
- Figure 2.14: Project Presentation Feedback Form
- Figure 2.15: Pitch Feedback Form
- Middle and High School Students Decide What They Need to Know
Chapter 3
- Disaster-Resilient Housing—Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Figure 3.2: Project-Planning Canvas Example
- Figure 3.5: How Are We Doing? Group Self-Evaluation Form
- Figure 3.6: Engineering Design Process Rubric
- Figure 3.7: Single-Point Rubric for the Engineering Design Process
- Figure 3.9: Peer Group Assessment Form
- Table 3.2: Jobs for Engineering a Board Game
Chapter 4
- Cardboard Carnival Activity—Directions
- Figure 4.1: Reverse Design Space Form
- Figure 4.2: Name Your Pain Activity Form
- Figure 4.3: Criteria Ranking Activity Form
- Figure 4.4: Criteria Ranking Activity Forms and Tally
- Figure 4.5: Scamper This! Activity Form
- Figure 4.6: Cardboard Carnival Activity Modifications Form
- Flight of the Table Tennis Ball Activity—Directions
- LEGO Person Activity—Directions
- Name Your Pain Activity—Directions
Chapter 5
- Figure 5.2: Engineering Happily Ever After Worksheet
- Figure 5.3: Just Right Project Plan
- Figure 5.5: Every Graph Tells a Story Project Plan
- Initial Design Plan Graph Project
- Push and Pull (Grades 2–8)
- Table 5.2: Hidden in Plain Sight Project Summary
Chapter 6
- Figure 6.1: Engineering a Board Game Project Plan
- Figure 6.2: Engineering a Board Game—Components and Materials Plan Checklist
- Figure 6.3: Engineering a Board Game—Packaging Design Plan
- Figure 6.5: Appropriate Technology Checklist
- Figure 6.6: Disaster-Resilient Housing Project Plan Summary
- Figure 6.7: About the Country, Region, or Village (Disaster-Resilient Housing Project)
- Figure 6.8: Designing a Prosthetic Hand Project Plan
- Figure 6.9: How Does Your Production Line Rate? Form
- How Does Your Production Line Rate? Activity—Directions
Chapter 7
- Figure 7.1: Project Elements for Teacher Reflection
- Figure 7.2: Teacher Post-Project Reflection Checklist
- Figure 7.3: Possible Project Revisions
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
- Brainstorming Summary
- Daily Summary
- Design Modification Request
- Design Ranking
- Engineering Notebook Checklist
- Final Design Summary
- Initial Design Plan
- Project Task Planner
SUGGESTED RESOURCES
Books
- Gobble, T., Onuscheck, M., Reibel, A. R., & Twadell, E. (2016). Proficiency-Based Assessment: Process, Not Product. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
- Jacobs, H. H. (Ed.). (2014). Mastering Global Literacy. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Appropriate Technology Websites
You can apply the following resources and lesson plans on appropriate technology to real-world problems.
- Amy Smith (engineer with the MIT D-Lab)
- International Development and Innovation Network
- Jane Chen (EMBRACE Baby Warmer)
- Jessica Matthews (founder of Uncharted Play)
- The Lucky Iron Fish
Case Study Websites
Challenger Case Study Websites
These resources form a good background picture of the Challenger disaster, which has an accompanying case study.
- Aerospaceweb
- “Engineering Ethics Case Study: The Challenger Disaster” by Mark Rossow
- History
- NASA
- NASA
- ThinkReliability
Student Job-Related Websites
Project Manager
- Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (vulnerable populations)
- Practical Action (natural disasters risk reduction)
Architect and Engineer
- Senseable City Laboratory (tsunami-safe(r) house)
- Deltec Homes (hurricane-resistant housing)
- The Earthbound Report (flood-proof housing)
Marketing
- YouTube, “The Art of Logo Design” (power of a logo)
- Wikipedia (testing engineer)
- Wikipedia (product testing)
Engineering Lesson Plans and Project Ideas
- TeachEngineering (ASEE/NSF)
- eGFI (Engineering Go for It [ASEE])
- Try Engineering (IEEE)
- National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges (NAE)
Nature-Inspired Engineering and Biomimicry
Miscellaneous
- How Stuff Works
- Video about engineering failures
- PBS Video, “Engineering Design Is Like a Taco Party”
- Royal Academy of Engineering
- Project-based learning resources and ideas (formerly the Buck Institute for Education)
- Educator and student resources related to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals
Student Study, Camp, and Scholarship Programs
- University of Washington (for students who have a disability and want to pursue engineering and science)
- Montana Learning Center
Websites
Chapter 1
- Edmentum, “5 Tips for Helping Students of All Ages Find Credible Online Sources”
- Engineering.com
- Engineering Failures
- National Science Foundation, “What Is Engineering?”
- PBLWorks
- Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, “Lesson Plans”
- This is Engineering
- Waters Center for Systems Thinking
- YouTube, “Systems Thinking: A Cautionary Tale”
Chapter 2
- AsSeenOnTV
- Canva
- Concord Consortium
- Glogster
- How It’s Made
- Khan Academy
- LucidPress
- NASA, “For Students”
- National Geographic Kids
- PhET Simulations
- Powtoons
- TED-Ed
- YouTube, “Scrub Daddy Pitch”
Chapter 3
- Bigelow, K. E. (2012). Designing for Success: Developing Engineers Who Consider Universal Design Principles. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 25(3), 211–225.
- Cmap, “Learn About Concept Maps”
- ¡Colorín Colorado!, “Seven Steps to Using Next Generation Science Standards with ELLs”
- Engineer Girl
- Google Docs
- IDEA, “Ten Research-Based Steps for Effective Group Work”
- Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything
- Kent State, “Active Learning—Concept Maps”
- National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, “Middle, High School, & Community College Programs”
- National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, “Famous African American Women in STEM”
- National Girls Collaborative Project, “Engaging Girls in STEM”
- National Science Teachers Association, “Using Concept Maps in the Science Classroom”
- PBLWorks, “K–2 Teamwork Rubric”
- PBLWorks, “Rubrics”
- PBS NewsHour Extra, “Lesson Plan: How Outstanding Women in STEM Fields Overcame Obstacles”
- Remezcla, “10 Latinas Making Their Mark in the STEM World”
- Statista’s Chart of the Day
- TED Talks, Hugh Herr’s “The New Bionics That Let US Run, Climb and Dance”
- TED Talks, Temple Grandin’s “The World Needs All Kinds of Minds”
- World Resources Institute, “Maps & Data”
- The Disabled List
Chapter 4
- Caine’s Arcade
- Cooper Hewitt, “Ready, Set, Design!”
- TeachEngineering, “Example Evaluating Alternatives Rubric”
Chapter 5
- Ask Nature
- Biomimicry Institute
- Data Viz Project
- Early Childhood Education Zone, “Graphing Games: 5 Fun Data Handling Games for Kids”
- Information Is Beautiful
- Institution of Civil Engineers
- Mensa for Kids, “Fabulous Fibonacci”
- NOAA Data in the Classroom
- Our World in Data
- PBLWorks, “K–2 Creativity & Innovation Rubric”
- Public Delivery, “Liu Bolin Has Been Professionally Disappearing for Over a Decade”
- TED, “The Best Hans Rosling Talks You’ve Ever Seen”
- World Bank, “World Development Indicators”
- YouTube, “How to Make Your Packaging More Sustainable”
Chapter 6
- Adaptive Design
- Appropedia, “Appropriate Technology”
- EiE, “Teacher Tip: Simulate an Earthquake With Easy-to-Make ‘Shake Table’”
- Ellen MacArthur Foundation, “What Is the Circular Economy”
- Engineering for Change
- Graduating Engineer & Computer Careers, “Toying With Education”
- The Pachamama Alliance, “Appropriate Technology”
- Practical Action Schools
- Smithsonian, “This Woman Invented Monopoly to Combat Greed”
- Stanford University, “Playing to Learn: Panelists at Stanford Discussion Say Using Games as an Educational Tool Provides Opportunities for Deeper Learning”
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Sustainable Development Goals, “Sustainable Development Goal 11”
- University of Michigan, “Board Game Helps Mexican Coffee Farmers Grasp Complex Ecological Interactions”:
- Water Footprint Calculator, “Water Resources for Educators”
- Water Footprint Network
- Water Footprint Network, “About Us”
- Water Footprint Network, “Water Footprint Aquapath”
- World Wildlife Fund-Canada
- World’s Largest Lesson
- World’s Largest Lesson, “11 Sustainable Cities and Communities”
- YouTube, “Lucky Iron Fish: A Simple Solution for a Global Problem”
- YouTube, “The Surprising History Behind the Board Game ‘Monopoly’”
- YouTube, “What’s Your Water Footprint?”
Appendix A