EiE keeps growing and innovating! In this issue: Spanish-language PD, new afterschool engineering activities,Tips for Teachers, more . . .
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EiE News - November 2015
Spanish-language professional development, new afterschool engineering activities for middle-schoolers, large-scale adoption in Alabama . . . EiE just keeps growing and innovating! Read on for news, tips, and more.  Cynthia Berger, newsletter editor
Alabama Picks EiE for Statewide Initiative

The AMSTI logoWe're pleased to share that the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) has selected EiE as one of the curriculum resources that will help schools meet the state's “College- and Career - Ready Standards” for science.

EiE curriculum units are already being stocked at all 11 AMSTI support centers. This coming summer, the centers will offer EiE workshops for local teachers. About 600 of Alabama’s 1,100 elementary schools are AMSTI schools; that translates to about 140,000 students who will learn with EiE in the elementary grades.

“Our new state science standards include engineering practices, and we are really happy to bring in EiE to help us meet those standards,” says AMSTI director Steve Ricks.  “AMSTI emphasizes hands-on, inquiry-based learning and educational equity, and EiE is a great match.”

READ MORE about EiE and AMSTI on the EiE Blog.

EiE Offers First Spanish-language PD in Texas

The EiE Engineering Design Process, in SpanishWe designed the EiE curriculum to support learning for all students—and now we have a new resource for teachers who work with Spanish-speaking students: bilingual professional development.

Professional development provider Jason Brewer facilitated the first such workshop this summer for Spanish House, a Dallas, TX language-immersion school where most teachers speak English as a second language.

"Given that Spanish is their first language and they’re teaching in Spanish, it only makes sense for these teachers to receive professional development in Spanish,” Brewer says. “Especially since English and Spanish engineering terms are different.” Brewer translated the presentation and faciliation materials into Spanish with the help of Ana Yáñez of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“Jason was amazing!” one workshop participant says. “He helped us so much and presented the lessons until we understood the concept.” 

For more information about Spanish-language EiE workshops, contact eiepd@mos.org

New Afterschool Units Feature Farms, Fish, and Fun!

Two new Engineering Everywhere (EE) units address cutting-edge topics sure to please middle schoolers.

"Growing Up" is an agricultural engineering unit; the challenge is to design a farm where crops grow in or on tall buildings. "Go Fish" is a biomechanical engineering unit; the challenge is to design prosthetic devices for animals.

Like every EE unit, each of the new units includes 6 to 10 different hands-on activities and a lively, documentary-style video that sets the context for participants before they start engineering. You can download the lesson plans for these and eight other EE units on our website; printed Educator Guides and Materials Kits will be available in the EiE Store soon.

"Vertical Farms" and "Go Fish" are two new Engineering Everywhere units.

 

EiE Teacher Tip: Ask Good Questions

An educator invites questions from her class.A typical teacher asks 400 questions a day! When you’re guiding students through an engineering design challenge, be prepared with the right questions.

When students design a technology that doesn’t work as expected, use evidence-gathering questions. Focus your students’ attention on what they're seeing. Ask 

  • “What happened when you tested your design?
  • “Why do you think that happened?”
  • “What would you change about your design? 
  • “What do you think will happen when you make that change?

There's more information on this topic on the EiE Blog, or watch this EiE Spotlight Video

Meet the Team: Owen Berliner

EiE curriculum developer Owen BerlinerSenior curriculum developer Owen Berliner is on the creative team that creates hands-on activities for our afterschool curricula. “I have a special place in my heart for the Engineering Adventures  units ‘Earthquakes’ and ‘Rockets’ because, when I started at EiE, I helped develop them from the ground up,” he says. Owen also plays a key role in creating our afterschool newsletter, mobile apps, and afterschool videos.

A native of Acton, MA, Owen studied archaeology at Dickinson College. After stints as a field archaeologist and as a youth advisor with the Congressional Youth Leadership Council, he headed to the University of Chicago to pursue a master’s degree . . .  where, at a job fair, he jumped at the chance to develop a hands-on museum program for middle schoolers. “It just clicked: this was exactly what I wanted to do!” he says.

The experience fueled his passion for informal science education and eventually brought him to EiE. These days, Owen’s got a new project that lets him flex his interest in new media: digital versions of the EiE storybooks. We’ll keep you posted as things develop!

Upcoming Conferences: Say Hello to EiE!

Logo for Massachusetts Association of Science TeachersNov. 6, 2015: Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers Conference

Nov. 17 – 18, 2015: Virtual E Conference

Learn with Us! Attend an EiE Teacher Workshop

Teachers at an EiE professional development workshop.We offer a variety of hands-on, highly engaging EiE Professional Development Workshops. Come to one of our sites, or request an EiE facilitator to come to your school or district.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR! On Nov. 16, 2015 we'll start accepting applications for NEW EiE PD Scholarships.

Teacher Educator Institutes:  

These intensive three-day workshops certify EiE Professional Development educators. 

Everyone Engineers!

These two-day, hands-on workshops give you the skills to implement EiE in your classroom. Offered at MOS, Boston. 

Linking the E & M in STEM

Integrate EiE with Common Core math standards. Offered at MOS, Boston.

Improving Your EiE Practice

EiE’s newest workshop is for educators who want to take their EiE teaching to the next level.