Engineering outreach: components of a best model for professional teacher development

Can engineering successfully be taught to elementary school students? Though many people are quick to answer that children can learn about engineering, the subject can be challenging to integrate with elementary level curricula since few teachers possess training in engineering or engineering education, in specific. This paper examines the results from two grants received by Tufts University: one National Science Foundation grant (NSF 9979593) and one grant sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Education (MA 1698). Each grant focuses, to varying degrees of teacher involvement, on professional development to increase both engineering content knowledge and comfort level with engineering in the classroom. The National Science Foundation grant supports year-long placement of engineering graduate fellows with classroom teachers to infuse engineering into more traditional curricula; the grant from the Massachusetts Department of Education focuses on a week-long professional development summer course with follow-up meetings subsequent to initial intensive seminar. The strengths and weaknesses of both approaches are discussed.