Comments on: How To Solve America’s Engineering Deficit http://blogs.asee.org/engineeringand/how-to-solve-americas-engineering-deficit/ Engineering snacks to whet your appetite Wed, 04 Aug 2010 23:06:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Harry T. Roman http://blogs.asee.org/engineeringand/how-to-solve-americas-engineering-deficit/comment-page-1/#comment-32 Harry T. Roman Fri, 30 Dec 2005 15:08:25 +0000 http://engineeringand.com/?p=16#comment-32 Ben Yates scores a bull's eye with his comments!! Recognizing Tech Ed as a curriculum that emphasizes the study of the designed world is a perfect match with infusing engineering into the academic day. This coupled with open-ended, design challenges is a powerful way to communicate what engineering is all about. The trick is to get that recognized as part of NCLB. We humans are much more than our raw ability to remember facts and such; and to apply linear logic for standardized testing. Tech Ed is about process and content, just like engineering. NCLB type testing is not the way to evaluate "process" and integrated thinking that characterizes so much of what engineering is about. Ben Yates scores a bull’s eye with his comments!!

Recognizing Tech Ed as a curriculum that emphasizes the study of the designed world is a perfect match with infusing engineering into the academic day. This coupled with open-ended, design challenges is a powerful way to communicate what engineering is all about. The trick is to get that recognized as part of NCLB. We humans are much more than our raw ability to remember facts and such; and to apply linear logic for standardized testing. Tech Ed is about process and content, just like engineering. NCLB type testing is not the way to evaluate “process” and integrated thinking that characterizes so much of what engineering is about.

]]> By: Ben Yates http://blogs.asee.org/engineeringand/how-to-solve-americas-engineering-deficit/comment-page-1/#comment-30 Ben Yates Fri, 23 Dec 2005 20:21:31 +0000 http://engineeringand.com/?p=16#comment-30 Although I agree with you that K-12 students need the math and science, i is not true they need "more" math and science. What they need is better teaching of math and science and better hands on connections (which math and science cannot provide) I agree that K-12 students need to "experience" the connection to engineering (all types); they will not get it in the math and science classes. In every state, math and science teachers are concerned with only one thing, state testing. Good or bad, it is a fact of life and a fact of NCLB. They have very little time to infuse engineering. On the other hand, Technolgy Education teachers (formally industrial technology) working in cooperation with math and science teachers, can make a difference and help kids see the connection to engineering and engineering technology through great hands-on learning. Your organization will make much bigger strides if you go to the state supervisors for Technology Education (some called industrial technology still) and work with them. More math and more science is not the answer for engineering. Helping kids make the connection through Technology Education to math and science will go much further. Ben Yates Although I agree with you that K-12 students need the math and science, i is not true they need “more” math and science. What they need is better teaching of math and science and better hands on connections (which math and science cannot provide) I agree that K-12 students need to “experience” the connection to engineering (all types); they will not get it in the math and science classes. In every state, math and science teachers are concerned with only one thing, state testing. Good or bad, it is a fact of life and a fact of NCLB. They have very little time to infuse engineering. On the other hand, Technolgy Education teachers (formally industrial technology) working in cooperation with math and science teachers, can make a difference and help kids see the connection to engineering and engineering technology through great hands-on learning. Your organization will make much bigger strides if you go to the state supervisors for Technology Education (some called industrial technology still) and work with them. More math and more science is not the answer for engineering. Helping kids make the connection through Technology Education to math and science will go much further.

Ben Yates

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