Christine Schnittka

Engineering Design and Conceptual Change in Science: Addressing thermal energy and heat transfer in eighth grade

The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of engineering design classroom activities on middle‐school students’ conceptions of heat transfer and thermal energy. One eighth‐grade physical science teacher and the students in three of her classes participated in this mixed‐methods investigation. One class served as the control receiving the teacher’s typical instruction. Students in a second class had the same learning objectives, but were taught science through an engineering design curriculum that included demonstrations targeting specific alternative conceptions about heat transfer and thermal energy. A third class also used the engineering design curriculum, but students experienced typical demonstrations instead of targeted ones. Conceptual understandings of heat transfer and thermal energy and attitudes towards engineering were assessed prior to and after the interventions through interviews, observations, artefact analysis, a multiple choice assessment, and a Likert scale assessment. Results indicated that the engineering design curriculum with targeted demonstrations was significantly more effective in eliciting desired conceptual change than the typical instruction and also significantly more effective than the engineering curriculum without targeted demonstrations. Implications from this study can inform how teachers should be prepared to use engineering design activities in science classrooms for conceptual change.

Engineering Education in the Science Classroom: A Case Study of One Teacher’s Disparate Approach with Ability-Tracked Classrooms

Currently, unless a K-12 student elects to enroll in technology-focused schools or classes, exposure to engineering design and habits of mind is minimal. However, the Framework for K-12 Science Education, published by the National Research Council in 2011, includes engineering design as a new and major component of the science content to be taught by all K-12 teachers of science. This addition will likely require substantial teacher preparation in all the states that adopt the new standards that will be developed from the Framework. Engineering design will not be taught as just an elective to students who have prior interest in a career in engineering, but also as a habit of mind and a 21st century skill to all students in their regular classes. In this case study, one middle school science teacher taught an engineering design-based curriculum to two different classes of 8th grade students: a high-track and a low-track. The low-track class contained a substantial number of students with learning disabilities. Given the freedom to differentiate her teaching based on the needs of her students, the teacher provided a disparate learning environment for her lower-tracked students, and disparate learning outcomes were evident. This study is designed to begin the discussion about equity in engineering education at the K-12 level. Engineering design-based science instruction can level the playing field for students with learning differences if teachers are prepared for the challenge.

Youth appropriation of social media for collaborative and facilitated design-based learning

Youth participated in an afterschool design-based STEM program.Social networking forums (SNFs) were integrated as tools for design-based learning.SNF posts were analyzed using the theoretical framework of connected learning.Youth used SNFs to collaborate with others on designs and articulate knowledge.Facilitators played a role in encouraging youth to persist in the design process. The purpose of this paper is to report on the ways that middle school age youth in the US appropriated a social networking forum (SNF) during an afterschool integrative STEM program, Studio STEM. SNFs are a form of social media created predominantly for social interaction and maintenance of relationships. In design-based learning environments, SNFs have the potential to facilitate the documentation of the design process from collaborative idea generation through testing and refinement. These records can be accessed from anytime and anywhere with Internet access, providing opportunities for youth to draw connections between classroom and afterschool environments. Studio STEM was designed intentionally to expose youth to scientific concepts related to electrical generation and energy transformations through collaborative design of lights powered through motion. Concurrently, facilitators encouraged youth to post to the SNF, Edmodo. All posts were analyzed using the theoretical framework of connected learning in which peer and instructor interactions mediated through SNFs might enhance learning. Results indicate that youth appropriated Edmodo to connect with others, articulate knowledge, and exchange design ideas. Facilitators played a strong role in encouraging youth to persist with design refinement through the use of Edmodo. Results suggest that youth are open to using SNFs to collaborate and provide updates on design processes, which is encouraging in terms of blending formal and informal STEM learning environments with social media.

Studio STEM: A Model to Enhance Integrative STEM Literacy Through Engineering Design

Developing and implementing integrative curricula that enhances STEM literacy by providing meaningful connections to the lives of youth is challenging. Equally demanding is to invoke the desired cognitive, social, and affective changes that could positively influence motivation in STEM learning (Katehi, L., Pearson, G., & Feder, M. (Eds.). Engineering in K-12 education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2009). In this chapter, we present the Studio STEM model, which is comprised of theory, curricula, training, implementation, and assessment that attempts to overcome known barriers. Studio STEM is an out-of-school, design-based science and engineering program intended to engage middle school youth in critical STEM concepts and practices. The design principles that frame the model include: curricula based on science inquiry, engineering design, studio-based learning, technology-enhanced experiences and opportunities, and a focus on community connections through service organizations and businesses. The Studio STEM model addresses several issues identified by recent reports that highlight potential hindrance of full adoption of integrative STEM programming. We offer the framework by which Studio STEM was intentionally designed to be a practical program based on current theory and research. We also discuss details of what constitutes an engineering design-based science learning environment, a description of the program curricula and training, assessment measures used, and results from several implementations of Studio STEM in varying informal learning contexts (Evans et al. International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments, 3(2), 1–31, 2014; Schnittka, C. G., Brandt, C. B., Jones, B. D., & Evans, M. A. Advances in Engineering Education, 3(2), 1–31, 2012; Schnittka et al. Looking for learning in afterschool spaces: Studio STEM (2015). Preliminary results suggest positive changes in youth engagement toward and interest in STEM as a result of participating in Studio STEM. As a result, we highlight the connections among theory and research, practical implementations of the program, and positive student and teacher outcomes related to motivation and STEM literacy driven by a focus on engineering design practices as core to these efforts.

STEM road map: A framework for integrated STEM education

This book is truly a one-stop shop for all things STEM education. It contributes a road map for teachers working together in schools or school systems, providing K–12 students with the best possible integrated STEM experiences. These experiences focus around seven salient interdisciplinary themes where teachers of social studies, mathematics, science, English language arts, technology, and information literacy synergistically work together. The road map’s lesson ideas are extremely practical and concrete, yet open-ended enough to be fluid and adaptable for different learner needs and school constraints. Specific lesson themes, design challenge ideas, and STEM content topics are given for planning STEM integration for Grades K–12. A real pleasure in reading (and using) the book is in devouring the various, creative curricular ideas. Specific interdisciplinary units are described for each grade level, along seven realworld themes. For example, along the theme of innovation and progress, 11th-grade students delve into an investigation of building materials, use that knowledge to examine how the World Trade Center towers collapsed, and propose and prototype new and improved building materials. A Grade 1 unit focuses on the investigation of animal habitats, utilizing the theme, sustainable systems, where students learn about endangered species around the world and develop ways to help those species cope with changing habitats. Each unit is mapped to the Next Generation Science Standards, Common Core Mathematics, and Common Core Language Arts, and 21st century skills. Each unit is described in enough detail for teachers to begin planning daily lesson plans, but more importantly each unit is described in terms of how the content relates to students’ lives in compelling ways. For example, there are units on rollercoasters, motorsports, alternative energy, rooftop and window box gardens, smart phones, obesity, and natural catastrophes. All together, 63 different and uniquely creative units are described for students in Grades K–12. Two fully developed units are provided at the end of the book, complete with day-to-day lesson plans, assessments, materials lists, worksheets, and so on. The authors also provide a template teachers can use to take any of the unit descriptions and turn them into complete units as well. Another bonus is to read about numerous STEM careers that are mapped to particular grade levels and units. For example, second-grade students get to learn about material engineers, nanotechnologists, urban planners, and environmental engineers. The challenging cognitive work of mapping school to career is already done. The authors have already thought through how activities and lessons in schools are tied to the real world and to real careers where STEM work makes a positive impact on human, environmental, and global health and safety. A chapter on assessing STEM learning and doing shows the reader how to create test items, rubrics, and use assessment results to inform changes to a curriculum. Another chapter helps the reader make STEM learning and doing accessible to culturally and linguistically diverse groups of students and shows how to tailor units to the specific life experiences of youth. In yet another chapter, professional development best practices are described from the perspective of research, but practical suggestions are offered to make district-level STEM professional development effective. Developing STEM partnerships with local industry, nonprofits, and foundations are also key, and stories of success from around the country are told in ways that can inspire members of any community. Reading this book would benefit groups of motivated teachers or school or district leaders so they could begin transforming education at the local level. The book is also ideal for university STEM education faculty, as they may be offered the opportunity to help a school or district start a STEM integration initiative. The book ably assists preservice teachers enrolled in teacher education programs because they have potential to be agents of change as they enter a school armed with new ideas based on sound research and the wisdom of these experienced editors and authors.

‘‘Can I drop it this time?’’ Gender and Collaborative Group Dynamics in an Engineering Design-Based Afterschool Program

The 21st century has brought an increasing demand for expertise in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Although strides have been made towards increasing gender diversity in several of these disciplines, engineering remains primarily male dominated. In response, the U.S. educational system has attempted to make engineering curriculum more engaging, informative, and welcoming to girls. Specifically, project-based and design-based learning pedagogies promise to make engineering interesting and accessible for girls while enculturating them into the world of engineering and scientific inquiry. Outcomes for girls learning in these contexts have been mixed. The purpose of this study was to explore how cultural gender norms are navigated within informal K-12 engineering contexts. We analyzed video of singleand mixed-gender collaborative groups participating in Studio STEM, a design-based, environmentally themed afterschool program that took place in a rural community. Discourse analysis was used to interpret interactional styles within and across groups. Discrepancies were found regarding functional and cultural characteristics of groups based on gender composition. Single-gender groups adhered more closely to social gender norms. For example, the boys group was characterized by overt hierarchies, whereas the girls group outwardly displayed solidarity and collaboration. In contrast, characteristics of interactional styles within mixed gender groups strayed from social gender norms, and stylistic differences across group types were greater for girls than for boys. Learning outcomes indicated that girls learned more in mixed-gender groups. Our results support the use of mixed-gender collaborative learning groups in engineering education yet uncover several challenges. We close with a discussion of implications for practitioners.