UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School presents Dr. Christine M. Cunningham giving the talk “Engineering EiE®: The Development of an Elementary Engineering Curriculum” on Thursday, January 14 at 12 noon in the Gevirtz Boardroom, Education Building. The event is free and open to the public.
Increasingly, engineering concepts and skills are being included in elementary-level instruction, as national and state standards place unprecedented emphasis on integrating science with engineering starting with the youngest students. This change presents some exciting possibilities – and also some challenges, as educators explore how to introduce engineering in an age-appropriate manner and in a way that’s inclusive for all students. This talk explores the development process for an elementary engineering curriculum, Engineering is Elementary®. Parallels between the engineering design process and the process of curriculum design are highlighted. Design principles for curriculum are articulated and short videos from classrooms demonstrate how these principles can be translated into experiences for students that foster engineering habits of mind. Finally, research on curriculum efficacy will be presented, including evidence that elementary students learn both engineering and science concepts more effectively when engineering is integrated into the classroom and that students’ openness to science and engineering careers improves.
Christine Cunningham is the Founder and Director of EiE, developed by the Museum of Science, Boston. Her work focuses on one key question: How can the teaching of engineering and science change so that it benefits and includes diverse populations? Before launching EiE in 2003, she was director of engineering education research at Tufts University; she also directed the first national longitudinal study of the factors that help women persist in college engineering majors. Her work has been honored with numerous awards, including an Outstanding Leadership Award from the American Society for Engineering Education. Christine holds joint bachelors and master’s degrees in biology from Yale University and a Ph.D. in science education from Cornell University.