For his doctoral dissertation at Tufts University, Morgan Hynes followed six in-service middle-school math, science, and computer teachers as they taught an engineering unit focused on designing assistance devices with the LEGO robotics tool set.

Image by Nicolás Pérez from Wikipedia

The study, Teaching middle-school engineering: An investigation of teachers’ subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge, found that past experience influenced how teachers used the curriculum. The teachers with more years of teaching experience made more connections between mathematics and science concepts and the engineering unit and tended to use a more student-centered teaching approach than those teachers with fewer years of teaching experience. The study also revealed that the teachers’ non-educational engineering experiences were important factors that contributed to their engineering knowledge. For example, one teacher who had worked as an appliance repairman demonstrated strong knowledge of engineering and science concepts such as friction, gears, work, torque, and redesign that he attributed to his prior work experiences. The study also showed that the science teachers demonstrated stronger knowledge of the engineering design process.

Filed under: K-12 Education News

Tags: Research on Learning