Engineering concepts in the high school classroom: theDartmouth/Thayer problem-solving methods
Muller, C.B.; Collier, J.P.
Frontiers in Education Conference, 1995. Proceedings., 1995
Volume 2, Issue , 1-4 Nov 1995 Page(s):4b1.15 - 4b1.18 vol.2
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/FIE.1995.483187
Summary:In the early 1960s, the introductory course in engineering offered
at Dartmouth's Thayer School of Engineering was re-designed to focus on
the introduction and implementation of problem-solving strategies used
by engineers in practice. In 1990, having determined that this course
would find great interest among K-12 educational practitioners, we
encapsulated it into a program for high school science and math
teachers. “Engineering Concepts for the High School
Classroom” includes an intensive summer workshop, post-workshop
consultation and communication with Thayer School staff and other past
participants, and materials development. The program offers teachers a
framework wherein their students develop problem-solving skills
requiring critical thinking, communication and teamwork. Within this
framework, students are given the opportunity to define their own
problems and develop original solutions to those problems. They make
testable predictions and analyze test results, encounter the real world
in the search for answers, take into account ideas from a variety of
disciplines, and communicate their findings both in a traditional
written format and orally to a review board composed of professionals in
the field. As students develop new skills and learn to trust their own
judgment, they also accomplish highly technical tasks, giving them solid
expertise in their field of inquiry. This paper describes the program
and its method provides examples of high school classroom results, and
discusses its dissemination beyond Dartmouth through workshops composed
and run by past participants in this program
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