Bringing engineering into your classroom showcases the interconnectedness of science, math, technology and the humanities. Take this self-guided tutorial and learn to identify common engineering myths, build your understanding of the engineering design process and how to apply it to hands-on activities, and get concrete steps you can use to easily integrate engineering. This training is offered at three grade bands: Elementary, Middle and High.

1. Bringing Engineering to Life
in High School
An online tutorial for high school teachers
1

2. 1. Why Teach Engineering?
2. Engineering Myths and Truths
3. The EDP (Engineering Design
Process)
4. Classroom Connections
5. Engineering Suggestions
2
SECTIONS
OF THIS
TUTORIAL

3.  You be a better teacher
 Your students be better learners
3
ENGINEERING CAN HELP
WHY TEACH
ENGINEERING?

4. 4
Engineering offers a practical,
efficient way to teach STEM. It also
 showcases the interconnectedness of
math, science, technology, and
engineering
 helps students see the relevance of
these subjects to their own lives
WHY TEACH
ENGINEERING?
WHY TEACH
ENGINEERING?

5. 5
Engineering often improves learning and student
achievement in science and math.
Source: Why Use Engineering in Education?” National Academy of Engineering

6. 6
Emphasize of engineering equally
with science to underscore its
importance to K–12 education.
WHY TEACH
ENGINEERING?
Next Generation Science Standards

7. 7
The E in STEM pulls
it all together.
WHY TEACH ENGINEERING?

8. 8
Doing engineering inspires more students than
you might expect to consider a STEM career.

9. 9
Engineering is a versatile, lucrative
career on the forefront of solving the
world’s problems and making life
better. The more high school
students understand about
engineering, the more they will
consider it as a career path.
WHY TEACH
ENGINEERING?

10. 10
High school is a critical time to teach
engineering. It can be transformative
for both you and your students.
WHY TEACH
ENGINEERING?

11. 11
Next, high school math teacher Todd Matia
is going to share his experiences.

12. 12
MYTH
ENGINEERING
MYTHS AND
TRUTHS
Engineers sit alone behind a
desk and do math calculations
all day.

13. 13
Engineering
Myths and Truths
Engineers work in teams and are
constantly on the go—holding
design meetings, reviewing specs
with clients, testing or inspecting
new equipment.
TRUTH
ENGINEERING
MYTHS AND
TRUTHS

14. 14
Engineering is the domain of
nerdy guys.
MYTH
ENGINEERING
MYTHS AND
TRUTHS

15. 15
ENGINEERING
MYTHS AND
TRUTHS
The face of engineering is
changing fast as more students
discover it as a great career.
TRUTH

16. 16
Engineering is basically the same
thing as science, and you’re
already teaching science.
MYTH
ENGINEERING
MYTHS AND
TRUTHS

17. 17
They are different and
complementary…
 Science answers questions through
experimentation.
 Engineering solves problems through
design.
TRUTH
ENGINEERING
MYTHS AND
TRUTHS

18. 18
Science is familiar and you know
how to teach it, but engineering
is foreign territory.
ENGINEERING
MYTHS AND
TRUTHS
MYTH

19. 19
Science and engineering overlap.
The both involve…
 developing and using models
 refining a solution to a real-world
problem
 using mathematical representations
of phenomena
TRUTH
ENGINEERING
MYTHS AND
TRUTHS

20. 20
Engineering
Myths and Truths
Engineering is dry and pragmatic,
focused on facts and numbers. It’s
not imaginative or artistic.
ENGINEERING
MYTHS AND
TRUTHS
MYTH

21. ENGINEERING
MYTHS AND
TRUTHS
21
TRUTH
Engineers use their creativity
and analytical skills to invent,
design, and build things that
matter. By finding imaginative
and practical solutions,
engineers are changing the
world all the time.

22. THE EDP
22
The engineering
design process (EDP)
is at the heart of all
engineering.

23. 23
THE EDP
This next example illustrates
what the EDP looks in a high
school classroom.

24. TENNIS ANYONE? ACTIVITY
Your Challenge
Design a racket out of everyday
materials and use it to hit a
ping-pong ball against a target.
Materials Include
• Velcro ping-pong ball
• Target board
• Wire
• Paper towel tubes
• Tape
• Pipe Cleaners

25. 25
THE EDP
The Problem
Make a racket that hits a
ping pong ball against a
target several times.

26. 26
THE EDP
The Specs
• Use only the listed
materials.
• The racket is strong enough
to make the ball stick when
it hits the target.

27. 27
THE EDP
Brainstorm
• Discuss tennis racket
designs
• Examine properties of
materials
• Explore potential solutions

28. 28
THE EDP
Design
• Choose one idea
• Sketch it
• Discuss how it will work
• Look for potential
problems

29. 29
THE EDP
Build
• Designs will evolve
• It’s a messy, loud stage
• It’s worth it…it makes
engineering come to life!

30. 30
THE EDP
• Set up testing zone
• Record results
• Redesign to improve
• Add requirements for kids
who need more of a challenge
Test, Improve, Redesign

31. 31
THE EDP
Share It!
• Students present their
solutions
• Discuss what worked, what
didn’t
• Say what they liked about
each other’s designs

32. 32
Engineers move back and forth
among these steps. They might share
results at any point, for example, and
use feedback to go back to
brainstorming.
THE EDP
The Process

33. 33
Students will try to skip steps, like
design, and go right to build.
When planning, decide how much
time students will spend on each
step. You’ll also notice that some
activities emphasize certain steps
more than others.
TIP
THE EDP

34.  Engineering design process
 Scientific inquiry
 Project-based learning
34
CLASSROOM
CONNECTIONS
Three Teaching Methods

35. 35
 Creativity
 Communication
 Critical Thinking
 Collaboration
Share Key Characteristics

36. 36
In all three approaches, the
teacher becomes a guide and
trouble shooter, rather than main
conveyor of information.
CLASSROOM
CONNECTIONS
STUDENTS LEARN BY DOING

37. 37
The second part of the formula is
combining the messages with a
hands–on activity
Learning by doing helps students understand why
failure is such an important part of the process.

38. 38
Todd, the teacher you met earlier,
uses engineering to teach project
management as well.
CLASSROOM
CONNECTIONS
PROJECT MANAGEMENT

39. 39
See how it helps his students
manage lengthy, big projects
and allows him to concentrate
on content and
troubleshooting.
CLASSROOM
CONNECTIONS

40. 40
How do you turn engineering into
something you can do in a high
school classroom, on a tight
schedule?
YOU’VE SEEN THE BENEFITS . . .
CLASSROOM
CONNECTIONS

41. 41
Start by integrating engineering
activities into an existing math or
science class.
CLASSROOM
CONNECTIONS

42. 42
CLASSROOM
CONNECTIONS
Hands-on activities are a great
way to bring engineering into
your classroom.
Find activities at DiscoverE.org

43. You may also offer a whole course on
engineering. Predesigned curricula are
available from vendors such as…
 Project Lead the Way
 Paxton/Patterson STEM Learning
Systems
 STEM 101
43
CLASSROOM
CONNECTIONS

44. 44
Some schools start engineering
academies. NAF, for example, has a
high school engineering academy.
CLASSROOM
CONNECTIONS

45. 45
ENGINEERING
SUGGESTIONS
There are many other ways to
expose high school students to
engineering.

46. 46
CLASSROOM
CONNECTIONS
An afterschool engineering club
gives students time to delve deep.
Check out:
ASCE Civil Engineering Club
IDEA 1

47. 47
ENGINEERING
SUGGESTIONS
Invite students to participate in
engineering contests, like….
 CyberPatriot
 InvenTeams
 Vex Robotics
IDEA 2

48. 48
ENGINEERING
SUGGESTIONS
Discuss how to incorporate
engineering into the high school
curriculum with your professional
learning community or grade-level
team.
IDEA 3

49. 49
ENGINEERING
SUGGESTIONS
Invite engineers into your
classroom. They can help with
a project and talk about their
careers.
IDEA 4

50. 50
ENGINEERING
SUGGESTIONS
 Local university
 Local chapters of engineering
societies
 Local engineering companies
FIND GUEST ENGINEERS

51. 51
Ask students to watch, listen, or
read a news article about a problem
in their community that engineers
are solving.
ENGINEERING
SUGGESTIONS
IDEA 5

52. 52
Visit DiscoverE to see what kinds of
engineering events you would like to
participate in with your students!
ENGINEERING
SUGGESTIONS
IDEA 6

53. 53
That’s it! You’re ready to bring
engineering alive for your students.
How are you going to begin?

54. Funding for this training was provided by: