Students working on design-based projects in the NGSS-aligned Engineering the Future curriculum from Activate Learning.
It is essential for our students to become confident and competent problem solvers. Whether or not they choose to pursue STEM fields, as the workers of tomorrow they will be expected to develop skills in the use of technologies that don’t even exist yet, and to solve problems we cannot even imagine.
Greenwich, Conn. (PRWEB) April 12, 2018
Activate Learning, a leader in K-12 curriculum aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), has added Engineering the Future: Science, Technology and the Design Process to its product line, featuring new upgrades and enhancements. With more than 35 states having adopted NGSS or similar science standards that heavily emphasize engineering as a part of science, the Second Edition of Engineering the Future, developed by the Museum of Science in Boston, provides an opportunity for schools to put the new standards into action.
Engineering the Future is a set of four design-based project modules, which can be taught as a one-year course or as a single semester or quarter. The high school curriculum engages all students in engineering and introduces them to diverse career paths in related fields while developing their problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Through practical real-world connections, students have an opportunity to see how science, mathematics, and engineering are part of their daily life, and why it is important for every citizen to be technologically and scientifically literate. Students analyze needs and design solutions for sustainable housing, transportation, communications, and entertainment.
The revised edition, which integrates science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), features several new enhancements:
- Fully supports NGSS and Standards for Technological Literacy, as well as standards of many non-NGSS states, and engages students in critical engineering practices, such as sustainable design
- Flexible approach so that projects can be used in any order to better reflect the realities of schools and unique needs of every classroom
- Expansion of constructivist, or maker, themed units in which students design and build with both traditional engineering materials and digital technologies, including 3-D CAD and open electronics prototyping
- Optimized use of common household, craft and hardware store materials in order for schools to provide rich engineering activities at an affordable cost
Engineering the Future, Second Edition, has been highly rated by STEM Works, a searchable online honor roll of high-quality STEM education programs that meet rigorous and results-driven design principles. The curriculum was originally developed by the Museum of Science in Boston and tested by more than 100 teachers.
“Every student should be given the opportunity to understand the world around them through the lens of engineering, as our world, across all industries, becomes increasingly driven by design thinking and technology,” said Eric Johnson, CEO of Activate Learning. “Students also have more meaningful, lasting learning experiences when they’re empowered to investigate technological systems, and design solutions to real-world problems.”
“It is essential for our students to become confident and competent problem solvers,” said Cary Sneider, Visiting Scholar at Portland State University in Portland Oregon, and former Vice-President of Programs at the Museum of Science in Boston. “Whether or not they choose to pursue STEM fields, as the workers of tomorrow they will be expected to develop skills in the use of technologies that don’t even exist yet, and to solve problems that we cannot even imagine. We need to prepare our students to cope in a world in which population will grow from the current 7 billion to more than 9 billion by the time they reach middle age, when the need for sufficient food, fresh water, and meaningful jobs will become ever more acute. This course is designed to provide the inspiration, confidence and skills that they’ll need to meet these challenges. In a very real sense, our students will engineer the future.”
Activate Learning is featuring Engineering the Future: Second Edition during the ITEEA Annual Conference, "Building Bridges Within the STEM Community and Beyond," in Atlanta, April 12-14. Visit booth #28.
About Activate Learning
Activate Learning is a leader in research-based, standards-aligned K-16 STEM curricula, including IQWST® and PBIScience™ for middle school science, and several premier high school math, science and engineering curricula. The project-based, investigation-centered, and literacy-rich programs immerse students in rigorous learning environments, in which their original questions and everyday experiences are the central focus in developing their content knowledge and higher order thinking skills. Most of the curricula were developed in partnership with leading universities through grants from the National Science Foundation. To learn more, visit activatelearning.com, or contact the company at info(at)activatelearning(dot)com or (646) 502-5231.
