William S. Carlsen

Teaching Engineering Practices

Abstract Engineering is featured prominently in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and related reform documents, but how its nature and methods are described is problematic. This paper is a systematic review and critique of that representation, and proposes that the disciplinary core ideas of engineering (as described in the NGSS) can be disregarded safely if the practices of engineering are better articulated and modeled through student engagement in engineering projects. A clearer distinction between science and engineering practices is outlined, and prior research is described that suggests that precollege engineering design can strengthen children’s understandings about scientific concepts. However, a piecemeal approach to teaching engineering practices is unlikely to result in students understanding engineering as a discipline. The implications for science teacher education are supplemented with lessons learned from a number of engineering education professional development projects.

Design of an online global learning community: international collaboration of grades 7-9 science students

This paper describes the design decisions made in the construction of an online global learning community for grades 7-9 science students. The collaborative learning tools of class profiles, student-scientist forums, and peer review featured in the From Local to Extreme Environments curriculum are discussed in detail. Initial evaluation of these tools and student reactions to global collaborations in this ongoing study will be accomplished through feedback during the unit and embedded surveys.

From Local to EXtreme Environments (FLEXE): Connecting Students and Scientists in Online Forums

Science education reform efforts have challenged scientists to model inquiry practices for precollege students through student-scientist interactions (SSIs). Given the limited availability of scientists, their varying experience with effective pedagogy, the widespread distribution of schools, and the numbers of students potentially involved, however, questions abound concerning how best to structure these interactions. Our international environmental education project has developed online forums to support SSIs, making use of web and database technology to facilitate communication between students and scientists. We have addressed the question, “How best to do this?” scientifically, combining program evaluation with randomized trials explicitly testing the effects of SSIs on student outcomes.