John M. Ritz

Using Contextualized Engineering and Technology Education to Increase Student Motivation in the Core Academics

Education can be used to change human behavior. It can enhance one’s ability to perform verbally, quantitatively and analytically. Much of one’s early education takes place within the family and in school. Motivation is essential for enhanced learning. Motivation was conceptually defined by Lewin (1938) using the formula of B = ƒ (P,E), where B is behavior and it is influenced by the function of interaction of the person (P) in his/her environment (E).

Alternative Strategies for Preparing Middle School Technology Education Teachers.

A s a result of a shortage of technology education teachers in the United States, school districts, teacher education institutions, and state education agencies are questioning how to meet the demand for qualified technology teachers, especially at the middle school level. The demand for middle school technology teachers is increasing for several reasons. Adolescence is a period of advancing cognitive abilities, which contribute to students’ learning about technology and its varied applications. Many middle school students find technology an attractive learning experience, particularly exploratory programs that include instruction and experiences focusing on technology. Finally, generally speaking, more educators seek academic preparation that pertains to the secondary school, rather than the middle school, level. In response to the shortage of middle school technology teachers, some teacher education institutions have developed alternative licensing programs. Such alternative teacher education may train teachers by nontraditional means, building upon teacher candidates’ expertise and experience (in this article, for instance, military service) and providing a teaching license with less coursework and field experiences than traditional training programs may require. Still, alternative programs use the same content and process standards as those required in state-approved teacher preparation programs, and they heed the standards for technological literacy (2000) published by the International Technology Education Assocation (ITEA). In this article, the authors call attention to the shortage of technology education teachers, provide a case study highlighting an alternative technology education program at Old Dominion University, and share several “lessons learned” that will benefit other institutions seeking to implement an alternative program. This teacher education program experimented with innovative methods for identifying potential technology teacher candidates, and with providing training methods that take advantage of candidates’ existing technological expertise and experience.

STEM in General Education: Does Mathematics Competence Influence Course Selection

Many students enroll in college programs to prepare for their future careers. All are required to complete general studies courses. At one university, technology and STEM courses fulfill a part of the natural science and technology general education requirements. This study uses a survey design to explore why 332 students chose to enroll in a STEM technology course. Results found most enroll because their advisor suggests the course, it meets a general education major requirement, and the course is offered at a convenient time. Fewer enroll in the course because they would like to find out more about STEM fields, be exposed to potential careers, or because of the implicit need to study STEM subjects. Student mathematics skills were analyzed to determine if these skills influenced their choice for selecting this technology STEM course.

Evaluating Preparation Programs for Vocational Education Teachers

Vocational education has a long and vigorous history. The tradition of passing on knowledge from master to apprentice was described in the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi some 4,000 years ago and was later practiced by the Egyptians, Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans. In Europe, the apprenticeship system thrived from the Middle Ages to the onset of the industrial revolution and, “became the single most important method of education in the American colonies” (McClure, Chrisman, & Mock, 1985, p. 15).