Our collection of videos for K – 12 engineering educators now includes a new resource: “EiE Video Snippets.” Use these short videos to see

• what NGSS science and engineering practices look like in elementary classrooms
• how hands-on engineering activities develop “engineering habits of mind” that support learning across the curriculum
• how young children engage in the EiE Engineering Design Process 

“EiE Video Snippets are perfect for preservice teacher education,” says Elizabeth Parry, coordinator of K-16 STEM Partnership Development at North Carolina State University’s College of Engineering. “I also imagine using them for teacher professional development, and, where schools are contemplating integrating engineering into the curriculum, as powerful examples for administrators and parents. Pretty potent punch for such brief snippets!”

Read more on the EiE Blog, then browse the collection and let us know what you think!

Researchers at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock are using EiE in a study that aims to promote equity in gifted and talented programs. STEM Starters+ is a five-year, $2.5 million project funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students program.

“We know one big way talent comes to the surface is through alternative ways of learning,” says project director Kristy Kidd. “Most traditional assessments emphasize reading skills, but some students who are not in the top percentile for reading excel in science, which is more hands-on.”

About 3,000 elementary students in four Arkansas districts will be learning with EiE plus two other enriching STEM curricula. The researchers predict that with raised awareness of how STEM skills indicate talent, more students who are black, Hispanic, or from low-income families will be enrolled in gifted and talented programs.

READ MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT ON THE EIE BLOG

When kids at the Charlestown Boys & Girls Club in Boston engineered earthquake-resistant model buildings this fall (an activity from the EiE Engineering Adventures unit “Shake Things Up”), they did it with twist: Instead of writing their engineering journals on paper, they used Fable tablets, a new educational tool from the Boston-area tech company Isabella Products, Inc.

The three-way collaboration among EiE, Isabella, and the Boys & Girls Club of Boston (BGCB) was a chance to pilot-test digital delivery of EiE curriculum materials. “We were thrilled to offer this pilot and strongly believe the tablet’s educational capabilities will help encourage students to stay engaged with STEM studies,” says Isabella founder and CEO Matthew Growney.

“We really appreciated the chance to learn how afterschool students use digital resources in a hands-on challenge,” said Owen Berliner, a senior curriculum developer for Engineering Adventures. “Information from this pilot will help us create new resources that leverage all the opportunities tablets have to offer.”

LEARN MORE 

Last summer, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) recognized the Engineering is Elementary website as one of its 2015 “Best Websites for Teaching and Learning.” Want to know more about the online educator resources that helped our site earn this designation? You're in luck: AASL is sponsoring a webinar on February 3, 2016 called "Exploring the EiE Website to Enhance Your Engineering Curriculum."

EiE professional development provider Nicole O’Neil will lead you on this guided tour. There's no fee to attend but participation is only guaranteed to the first 100 attendees, so sign up today! In addition to showing you where to find handy EiE resources like assessments, extension lessons, and our extensive collection of classroom videos, Nicole will share how you can use these tools to enhance classroom instruction.

REGISTER FOR THE AASL WEBINAR

Q: Can students work individually on engineering design challenges, instead of in groups? I'm trying to avoid behavior problems. 

A: We recommend collaborative work; it's is key to engineering! To foster teamwork while avoiding behavior problems . . . 

• SET A CONTEXT: Tell your students why collaboration is important. (Watch this video for an example of what to say.) 
• GET STUDENT BUY-IN: Take time to establish what collaboration looks like. Pick a fun activity that requires teamwork and start by inviting students to agree on rules of group behavior, like “Take turns talking,” or “Be polite and respectful.” Post these rules in your classroom.
• FORM DIVERSE GROUPS: They’ll be more creative, and students will learn from one another.
• ASSIGN ROLES: Give each student on the team a job: scribe, materials coordinator (distributes materials), facilitator (keeps discussions on track); presenter (shares team findings with the class).

Do YOU have a tip for EiE teachers? Let us know! If we use your tip in the newsletter, we'll thank you with a FREE EiE teacher guide of your choice.

Speaking of that award for “Best Website” (above), if you enjoy exploring our website, thank Val Costa. As EiE’s operations manager, she led the recent redesign that made our 5,000+ pages of content more pleasing to look at and easier to navigate!

Val does much more than manage the website. She’s our chief logistics coordinator, organizing retreats, onboarding new staffers, and generally making sure all of us have what we need to do our work. She also keeps us laughing with emails featuring her “spirit animal,” the Internet icon Grumpy Cat. “Everyone loves a good cat meme!” she says.

Val just celebrated her 10^th anniversary at EiE; she’s seen the program grow from a handful of staffers to more than 40 today. Her favorite part of the job? “Making connections,” she says. “I talk to almost everyone every day, so I know who has what skill and could help different projects.” Outside of work, Val and her husband are car enthusiasts and the proud owners of two dogs . . . plus an actual cat.