Dear Pre-College Engineering Education (PCEE) Division Members,
Did you see today’s ASEE First Bell about the results from the first NAEP (“the Nation’s Report Card”) Technology & Engineering Literacy (TEL) assessment? The results from this assessment were released yesterday, and assessment results are available at www.nationsreportcard.gov. Also, don’t miss the special panel presentation at the ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, “Measuring Technology and Engineering Literacy on the Nation’s Report Card,” Wednesday, June 29, 9:45 – 11:15 am, New Orleans Convention Center, 261. See the online session locator for more information.
Also, there are two Sunday workshops (June 26) that are hosted by our division! Reserve your spot now!
- “Teachers Talking about Engineering: How to Incorporate Engineering in K-12 Classrooms,” 9:00 am – noon, New Orleans Convention Center, 265
- “Transforming Typical Engineering Challenges into Effective Learning Experiences for Elementary Students,” 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm, New Orleans Convention Center, 271
For more details about these Sunday workshops, go to the online session locator
Please read the announcements, below, all of which are new. Also read our May diversity/inclusion tip about teamwork. Reminder: please pass along newsletter items for me to share with the division. Keep them to a paragraph or so.
Take care,
Pam
—
Pamela S. Lottero-Perdue, Ph.D.
Chair, Pre-College Engineering Education Division
American Society for Engineering Education
Associate Professor of Science Education
Director, Integrated STEM Instructional Leadership (PreK-6) Post-Baccalaureate Program
Department of Physics, Astronomy & Geosciences
Towson University
DIVERSITY/INCLUSION TIP:
Teamwork
Teamwork: One of the core activities of STEM professionals is working on diverse teams to solve a problem. While there are many aspects of group dynamics, women and underrepresented minorities can feel isolated and undervalued, especially when they are in teams of all majority students. One of the best practices to improving teamwork in a diverse work environment is to practice active listening and building empathy through common experiences. Many times we share the same problems and we don’t even realize it.
Activity: “The bug list” – “Bugs” in this case do not refer to the creepy crawly insects but instead to those things in our daily lives that never seem to work quite right and frustrate us. The problems can sometimes be fixed but most of the time we just deal with it. Have students gather together in groups of their choice and brainstorm things that frustrate them about technology in their community and discuss how they might be able to fix them. It could be the push button at the traffic light that takes forever to activate, or the wobbly table balanced by a stack of napkins under the base. After the initial activity, invite all your students to keep a daily log of all the “bugs” they observe in their community. After one week, mix students up into different groups (preferably students who normally don’t work together) and have them listen to teach others’ lists and determine the number of “bugs” they shared in common. They will find something in common with each other that they might not have otherwise known. Have them work together and plan a possible design to fix their “bug”.
The the bug list was described by Kelley as a way to discover new design opportunities:
David and Tom Kelley. Creative Confidence. New York: Crown Business, 2013. Print.
If you have a diversity/inclusion tip or resource you would like to share with the division, please email Morgan Hynes morganhynes@purdue.edu.
~ ANNOUNCEMENTS ~
POSITION ANNOUNCEMENTS (New):
Position: Elementary Engineering, HTe North County. Start Date: August 1, 2016. Elementary engineering teachers work with all students in Kindergarten through fifth grade. They collaborate with classroom teachers to create interdisciplinary projects that create opportunities for real-world engineering, reading, writing, and math applications. Elementary teachers work to create lifelong learners, philosophers, creators, and revolutionaries. In addition, the Engineering teacher creates learning experiences that support kids in not just being consumers of technology, but creators and innovators. For more information contact meehan.rj@gmail.com. http://www.hightechhigh.org/schools/HTENC/
NSF STEM VIDEO SHOWCASE (New – and happening now!):
The National Science Foundation STEM Video Showcase is May 17-23, a virtual event featuring more than 150 short videos highlighting innovative programs and advances in STEM teaching and learning. ASEE members are invited to join the thousands of practitioners, researchers, industry leaders, scientists, parents, and students who will browse these videos and discuss them online with the presenters beginning May 17.
The theme is broadening participation and access to high quality STEM experiences. The videos cover a wide range of educational topics including math, science, engineering, computer science, computational thinking, standards, and professional development, and they highlight initiatives for students of all ages. You can browse videos by grade level and topic, join in the discussion with presenters, and vote for their favorite videos through social media.
More details are at stemforall2016.videohall.com.
ASEE CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENTS (New):
A Town Hall with PIC Chairs to discuss divisions offering mid-year meetings specifically for their members. This will be a Question & Answer session. All are invited to attend.
W159C·PIC TOWN HALL: Open discussion exploring mid-year division meetings
Business · ASEE Headquarters
Wed. June 29, 2016 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM
New Orleans Convention Center, 253