Elements of Design Engineering Projects

After reviewing the five essential features of inquiry and the four levels of inquiry, the author provides the challenge presented to high school students. He discusses the need for tension... See More

After reviewing the five essential features of inquiry and the four levels of inquiry, the author provides the challenge presented to high school students. He discusses the need for tension, the need to provide momentum by breaking up the challenge in smaller pieces, the rationale for different members of the team develop different expertise, all in an effort to use engineering problems to enact inquiry learning. This is an interesting article and worth reading.

Design Challenge 101 for STEM Teachers

Teachers who use inquiry strategies try to help students learn in a way that depicts how real scientists behave when they solve real world problems. This author posits that our students beg... See More

Teachers who use inquiry strategies try to help students learn in a way that depicts how real scientists behave when they solve real world problems. This author posits that our students begin with a big disadvantage. They do not have enough background knowledge or familiarity with a concept/topic that is needed in order for them to ask their own questions. How can they ‘ride the train’ of inquiry if they are not even on board? The author calls this dilemma the ‘getting-on-board problem’. His solution is a design process to create good design challenges. The article divides design challenges into three categories and explains how to word each design challenge question so that students can hone in on a conceptual relationship and utilize a system of constraints. Whether students design a paper airplane that maximizes hang time or construct a bridge that maximizes the load-to-weight ratio, they will be learning science by doing and will be incorporating science, technology, engineering, and math skills in the process – just like real engineers, inventors, physicists, and other scientists around the world.