Knowledge and Skills Statement
Scientific and engineering practices. The student asks questions, identifies problems, and plans and safely conducts classroom, laboratory, and field investigations to answer questions, explain phenomena, or design solutions using appropriate tools and models.
Further Explanation
Engineering practices include using the engineering design process to solve problems. Students engage with integrated concepts from multiple disciplines and use design thinking to design a solution to an authentic problem. There are multiple model variations of the engineering design process; however, they all share the basic practices of asking questions or defining problems, brainstorming, planning, creating and testing a design, and improving the design. Throughout the process, students are engaged in problem-solving, teamwork, collaboration, and effective communication.
The engineering design process is non-linear and iterative. Flexibility within the engineering design process allows a student to return to a step if needed. Analysis and improvement often result in additional questions or problems that can be solved through additional design process iterations.
Supporting Information
Research
Gerlach, Jonathan W. “Elementary Design Challenges.” Science and Children 47, no. 7 (March 2010): 43-47.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/43175605.
Summary: 5th-grade students complete an activity to explore force and motion by building airplanes out of household items. The teacher in this article uses the design process, allowing students multiple chances to revise their project when things aren’t working. The class starts by partaking in a real-world engagement activity, such as watching videos of real airplanes and how they fly. The students then discuss the different forces that act on an airplane. The class is split into groups of two and given limited supplies to build their airplanes, seeing which group's plane can fly the farthest. Teachers should check for misconceptions throughout the activity and remind them to think of real airplanes rather than the paper airplanes they may be used to making. After students completed and tested their planes, they hypothesized why their planes were unsuccessful and made revisions.
Research
Wingert, Kerri, and Philip Bell. "Practice 19: Why Should Students Learn to Plan and Carry out Investigations in Science and Engineering?” STEM Teaching Tools, Institute for Science + Math Education, April 2015. https://stemteachingtools.org/brief/19.
Summary: This article describes the importance of introducing engineering practices to K-12 students. Allowing students to plan and conduct scientific investigations and everyday problems can help to promote student independence. The article also provides teacher reflection questions. *