56. What Do Kids Need To Prepare For Engineering?

3/18/2022

Show Summary:

How does a group of undergraduate engineering students perform on one of Vivify’s most popular STEM activities, the space lander design challenge? Well let’s just say we have seen middle school students with more successful designs! In this episode of The STEM Space, Natasha shares her experience in teaching engineering students, who plan to become STEM teachers, how to use a design challenge to promote learning of science. She describes the phases of the learning cycle, and how the space lander design challenge is a great way to apply and deepen understanding of the concepts of drag, stability, and shock absorption. Claire and Natasha also compare the engineering design process used in STEM classrooms to real world engineering.

Links from the Show:

• HELP! My Students Are Struggling With TEAMWORK! <from The STEM Space podcast>

• Not all STEM is Equal: 3 Stages of STEM Education <from the Vivify blog>

• 10 Tips for Managing a STEM Classroom <from the Vivify blog>

• Dan Siegel’s Upstairs/Downstairs Brain:

  • Why Do We Lose Control of Our Emotions?

  • Upstairs Brain Downstairs Brain - SEL Sketches

• STEM Space Lander Math & Engineering Activity (Printed & Digital) <from the Vivify store>

• Best STEM Challenge Ever < from the Vivify Blog>

• Pipecleaner STEM Challenge <from the Vivify blog>

• SEEC (Space Exploration Educators Conference)

• Engineering Design Process Worksheets for all STEM Challenges -Printed & Digital <FREE from the Vivify TpT store or in our FREE STEM Explorer Library>

• Houston NSTA Conference

• EDP

  • NASA Systems Engineering Processes and Requirements (PDF)

  • OSD AT&L Defense Acquisition Process Chart

• Understanding a Framework for P-12 Engineering Learning <from the Vivify blog>

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