ILED: Iowa Leadership in Engineering Design

2020 ◽  
Vol 127 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 9-12
Author(s):  
Ken Turner ◽  
Anne Turner ◽  
Brenda Kaufman
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
High School ◽  
School Districts ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Design Activity ◽  
Development Opportunity ◽  
Professional Development Opportunity ◽  
Point Rating Scale ◽  
Design Activities

Based on results of a 2018 Iowa Science Teacher Section survey, the Iowa Science Foundation of the Iowa Academy of Science funded a professional development opportunity focused on engineering design (ISF 19–01). A free one–day workshop was created for school districts in Iowa, and the first was held in fall of 2019. During this workshop, teachers learned more about engineering design, experienced engineering design activities from kindergarten through high school levels, and brainstormed facets of engineering design. The day ended with guiding teachers in writing their own engineering design activities. The workshop was successful and well–received according to a post–workshop survey using a five–point rating scale. Comments included “I have a better understanding of how to use engineering design in my classroom” (4.56/5.00), “I was able to make good progress in developing an engineering design activity” (4.67/5.00), and “I would recommend this workshop to friends and colleagues” (4.78/5.00. Participating teachers learned skills that will impact more than 1,100 students, and additional workshops continue to be scheduled.

scholarly journals Conceptual connections between science and engineering in elementary teachers’ unit plans

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Pleasants ◽  
Kristina M. Tank ◽  
Joanne K. Olson
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Elementary Teachers ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Science Instruction ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Curriculum Materials ◽  
Design Activity ◽  
Design Activities ◽  
Science Concepts ◽  
Unit Plans

Abstract Background Around the world, efforts are underway to include engineering design as part of elementary science instruction. A common rationale for those efforts is that Engineering Design-based Science Teaching (EDST) is a productive pedagogical approach for developing students’ understanding of core science concepts. Effectively utilizing EDST requires that teachers develop design activities that are highly connected to science content so that students can apply and expand their understanding of relevant concepts. In this study, we examine how a group of elementary (grades 3–5) pre-service and in-service teachers incorporated EDST into their planned science instruction. Those teachers were participants in a professional development project aimed at supporting EDST. We examine the ways that participants used EDST, the extent to which engineering design activities were connected to science concepts, and factors associated with those connections. Results Most of the participants in the study developed science units in which an engineering design activity was placed at the end of the unit. Approximately half of those design activities lacked connections to the science concepts in the unit; they were typically related to the topic of the science unit, but did not require the use or development of key science ideas. Eleven percent of participants developed engineering activities with deep connections to science concepts, and 35% developed activities with shallow connections. No differences were found between life science, physical science, and earth/space science units in terms of the extent of conceptual connections. However, we did find that participants who utilized and adapted published engineering curriculum materials rather than make them from scratch were more likely to have unit plans with higher levels of conceptual connections. Conclusions Our findings suggest that elementary teachers need additional support in order to effectively utilize EDST in their classrooms. Even within the context of a supportive professional development project, most of the engineering activities developed by our participants lacked substantial connections to the science concepts in their unit plans. Our findings highlight the value of high-quality curriculum materials to support EDST as well as the need to further expand the curriculum resources that are available to elementary teachers.

YouTube as a Teacher Training Tool

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 30-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenna Copper ◽  
George Semich
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Training ◽  
Effective Teacher ◽  
Training Method ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Training Tool ◽  
Video Sharing ◽  
Development Opportunity ◽  
Professional Development Opportunity ◽  
Training Modality

High-stakes student testing, accountability for students' outcomes, new educational trends, and revised curricula and standards are only a few of the reasons that teachers must learn to teach complex material with skilled and intentional practices. As a result, professional development for educators is in critical demand. Nevertheless, research in the field of professional development indicates that most teachers do not experience effective teacher training (Desimone et al., 2002; Guskey, 2002). Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to examine one professional development opportunity using the video-sharing tool, YouTube, as a training modality for in-servicing teachers. For this study, the researchers conducted interviews with six teachers currently teaching in Western Pennsylvania to analyze their perceptions about the YouTube teacher training method. The results of the study indicated that the YouTube training tool is a quality training tool to assist teachers in the implementation of higher-order teaching strategies. Additionally, the results indicated that YouTube training videos could reinforce in-person training.

scholarly journals Effects on Career Development From Sharing One’s Story: Young Professionals’ Experiences With Family Planning Voices

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 336-339
Author(s):  
Anne Ballard Sara ◽  
Elizabeth Futrell ◽  
Tilly Gurman
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Family Planning ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
Young Professionals ◽  
Development Opportunity ◽  
Professional Development Opportunity ◽  
The Family ◽  
Young Family ◽  
Health Project ◽  
Depth Interviews

Supporting the development of young family planning professionals is key to fostering communities of practitioners that can help countries achieve family planning goals. The Family Planning Voices (FP Voices) storytelling initiative, created by The Knowledge for Health Project and Family Planning 2020, documents stories from people around the world who are passionate about family planning. This qualitative evaluation used in-depth interviews ( n = 11) with young professionals (ages 18-30) to uncover the effects of sharing their story with FP Voices. Participants came from 10 countries in one of three regions, Latin America ( n = 2), South Asia ( n = 2), and Africa ( n = 7). Findings highlight that sharing one’s story with FP Voices served as a professional development opportunity and instilled confidence and pride among young professionals. Additionally, participants linked access to a professional headshot and the experience of participating in an interview to their professional development. Participants often discussed the recognition they gained from sharing their story and the resulting increase in professional connections and opportunities. Participants hoped that their stories would inspire and encourage others and support recognition of the value of young professionals to the larger family planning field. In sum, storytelling initiatives like FP Voices can motivate and create community and opportunity among young professionals.

scholarly journals EVALUATING STUDENT DESIGN ACTIVITY IN ENGINEERING DESIGN PROJECTS

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. S. Petkau ◽  
D. D. Mann
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Design Activity ◽  
Design Teams ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Design Problems ◽  
Design Activities ◽  
University Of Manitoba ◽  
Design Projects ◽  
The University

Student design projects in engineering courses are usually short term conceptual design problems. Upon completion of the projects it is difficult to assess which design activities had the greatest contribution to the success of the design. In the fall of 2006, students in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year Design Trilogy courses at the University of Manitoba were asked to keep extensive design journals. Design teams consisted of multiyear students completing various industry projects. Student design activities recorded in the journals were coded. Data were compared between design teams and between students in the different years of study. This paper describes the evaluation process and reports on the preliminary findings.

scholarly journals Ecological Dissertations in the Aquatic Sciences: An Effective Networking and Professional Development Opportunity for Early Career Aquatic Scientists

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick T. Kelly ◽  
Tom Bell ◽  
Alexander J. Reisinger ◽  
Trisha L. Spanbauer ◽  
Lauren E. Bortolotti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Development Opportunity ◽  
Professional Development Opportunity ◽  
Aquatic Sciences
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