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Norman L. Fortenberry, Executive Director for the American Society for Engineering Education, recently co-chaired a workshop on “Enhancing Teachers' Voices in Policy Making Related to K-12 Engineering Education.” The activity is a project of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine's Teacher Advisory Council (TAC) and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).
Fortenberry co-led a committee that planned a two-day, national event that explored how to empower classroom teachers as leaders in policy decisions, identifying and strengthening pathways for teachers to be involved in policy without removing them from the classroom. Desired areas of teacher leadership in K-12 engineering education include: Pre-service and in-service teacher education, curriculum development, and materials development.
“With an increasingly technological society, the U.S needs all K-12 students to have an understanding of engineering processes and ways of thought. Some of these students will go on to contribute to our engineering workforce, but even those who do not will be better prepared to intelligently address the challenges of the 21st Century,” said Fortenberry. “But in doing so we need to get the thoughtful leadership of the talented and creative people who work directly with the students every day.”
Engineering instruction in K-12 is an area of growing focus, most particularly in light of the recent Next Generation Science Standards, which increase expectations on K-12 science teachers to connect engineering ideas and practices to those in science. There are also initiatives that treat engineering as a stand-alone discipline and those that treat engineering as a component of blended integrated science. Unfortunately, most new initiatives in these areas have not been informed by experienced teachers.
Workshop participants sought ways to facilitate teacher engagement on this issue, with breakout group brainstorming sessions and facilitated discussions. A report on meeting outcomes and next steps is forthcoming, in addition to follow-on outreach and communication with local, regional, and national stakeholders through direct conversations and social media.
The event was supported by a grant from the group “100Kin10” and additional funds from the Samueli Foundation supporting attendance by classroom teachers. The event was co-chaired by Donna Migdol, an elementary teacher from the Oceanside Union Free School District district in New York. The staff leads were TAC's Jay Labov and NAE's Greg Pearson.Norman L. Fortenberry, Executive Director for the American Society for Engineering Education, recently co-chaired a workshop on “Enhancing Teachers' Voices in Policy Making Related to K-12 Engineering Education.” The activity is a project of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine's Teacher Advisory Council (TAC) and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).
Fortenberry co-led a committee that planned a two-day, national event that explored how to empower classroom teachers as leaders in policy decisions, identifying and strengthening pathways for teachers to be involved in policy without removing them from the classroom. Desired areas of teacher leadership in K-12 engineering education include: Pre-service and in-service teacher education, curriculum development, and materials development.
“With an increasingly technological society, the U.S needs all K-12 students to have an understanding of engineering processes and ways of thought. Some of these students will go on to contribute to our engineering workforce, but even those who do not will be better prepared to intelligently address the challenges of the 21st Century,” said Fortenberry. “But in doing so we need to get the thoughtful leadership of the talented and creative people who work directly with the students every day.”
Engineering instruction in K-12 is an area of growing focus, most particularly in light of the recent Next Generation Science Standards, which increase expectations on K-12 science teachers to connect engineering ideas and practices to those in science. There are also initiatives that treat engineering as a stand-alone discipline and those that treat engineering as a component of blended integrated science. Unfortunately, most new initiatives in these areas have not been informed by experienced teachers.
Workshop participants sought ways to facilitate teacher engagement on this issue, with breakout group brainstorming sessions and facilitated discussions. A report on meeting outcomes and next steps is forthcoming, in addition to follow-on outreach and communication with local, regional, and national stakeholders through direct conversations and social media.
The event was supported by a grant from the group “100Kin10” and additional funds from the Samueli Foundation supporting attendance by classroom teachers. The event was co-chaired by Donna Migdol, an elementary teacher from the Oceanside Union Free School District district in New York. The staff leads were TAC's Jay Labov and NAE's Greg Pearson.
