Relevant initiatives

ENGINEER: brEaking New Ground In the SciencE Education Realm

Bloomfield Science Museum

2011-2014

European

Technology, Science

Other EU, English

Teachers, Students

ENGINEER will try to reach multiple targets, including primary level science teachers and school administrators, science centres and museums, primary level students and their parents, science education networks and associations, the science education research community, relevant local, national and EU authorities, and the general public.
Ten engineering challenges have been developed by science museum specialists and school teachers in ten different disciplines. Students follow a five-step design process using engineering principles to solve simple problems such as building a glider to carry messages between friends or constructing a system to water plants.They start with investigating the problem and looking at the science needed to solve it. Then applying this knowledge, they design and create solutions to an engineering problem. Engineering challenges as well as teacher guides are available to download for free from the ENGINEER website.

It can be used as well as other similar material, but does not give more as ordinary text book.A lot of visual material.The material is located on the Internet and are freely available.A links to the social networks
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Engineer/401245276672501

This project makes the study process more creative and interactive, students are more enthusiastic about learning and welcome with high interest the activities that include practical involvement and differ from the standard “normal” lessons. ENGINEER methods let the teachers and the students “think outside the box”, which is very essential for team works and problem solving etc.
These methods allow to keep enduring interest of all students, therefore it is easy to work with the class.
The methods are useful not only for teachers of physics, but also in different subjects that seem quite far from the science, i.e. arts or literature.
The study process is very interesting both for the students and the teachers, though it requires more resources and attention. It takes more time to deeply study this method and implement it in the teaching process.

The lectures are usually more interesting for everyone, when there are practical tasks. The lessons combine fun and serious things and show that engineering sciences are difficult, yet attractive.