Nov 10, 2009 — DRK-12 PI Meeting

Standards in K-12 Tech Literacy & Engineering:Implications for Design & ResearchChristian Schunn

Current Lay of the Land

✤ ITEA 2000+ Technological Literacy Standards

✤ (and 2003 Advanced Excellence Standards)

✤ NAE/NRC 2009 Committee Report on K12-Engineering

✤ Ongoing NAE/NRC Committee on Whether There Should be National K-12 Engineering Education Standards

Tech.Engr.

Theme 1: Don’t be another silo (Integration is )✤ Technology and Engineering are

each as complex as Math and Science

✤ Math & ELA dominate the curriculum under NCLB

✤ Technology & Engineering competing with many others for remaining space

✤ Symbiosis/Synergy creates new opportunities for curricular time and learning trajectories

MATH

SCIENCE

HISTORY

ENGLISH

?

The Silos

Theme 2: The Center of STEM & Beyond

TechnologyMath

Science

Engineering Design

“Science and technology are like conjoined twins.”

“Mathematics and technology have a ... more distant relationship.”

English Language

Arts

21st Century Thinking

Skills

“Math is the language of science”

Implications for Curric. Design

✤ New Engineering/Technology silo units unlikely to get broad uptake

Implications for Curric. Design

✤ New Engineering/Technology silo units unlikely to get broad uptake

✤ To include other discipline topics means to include standards-based topics

Implications for Design ofTeacher Prof. Development

✤ Existing teaching pool poorly equipped for STEM integration (content knowledge and PCK): We need educative models for how teachers help students to make S,T,E,M connections

Implications for Ed Research

✤ Open Questions:

✤ Which forms of STEM connections for children produce short-term and/or long-term advantages for S, T, E, M learning?

✤ What forms of STEM integration easier for existing teachers?

✤ Can E and T really be integrated with no loss to S and M?