K-12 Engineering - the Missing Core Discipline

We live in a human-made world. From the moment we wake up until we lie down to sleep, we are immersed in technologies. The faucet we use to wash our face, the toothbrush we use to clean our teeth, the clothes we wear, the car we drive, our office or school, our home, and even the mattress we sleep on are all the results of engineering processes. The water we drink has undergone an engineered purification process. The food we eat is the result of countless engineering technologies. If you are reading this inside a building, take a moment to look around. Imagine how your environment would look without any human-made things. Almost nothing you see or experience would be present – no electricity, no chair, no walls, no book, and maybe no YOU. Without human-made pharmaceuticals and sanitation processes, the life expectancy would be 27 years.

[1]  Greg Pearson,et al.  Technically speaking : why all Americans need to know more about technology , 2002 .

[2]  Calvin Milton Woodward The Manual Training School, Comprising a Full Statement of Its Aims, Methods, and Results, with Figured Drawings of Shop Exercises in Woods and Metals , 2008 .

[3]  Meghan Groome,et al.  Building a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Agenda. , 2007 .

[4]  C. M. Woodward Manual Training in Education , 2009 .

[5]  Jeanne E. Bishop The Committee of Ten , 1990 .

[6]  Robert C. Wicklein,et al.  Curricular Value and Instructional Needs for Infusing Engineering Design into K-12 Technology Education , 2005 .

[7]  Shelli D. Meade,et al.  The ITEA-NASA STS-118 Design Challenges , 2008 .

[8]  Rodger W. Bybee,et al.  Improving Technology Education: Understanding Reform--Assuming Responsibility. , 2003 .

[9]  X Mei A Powerful Force , 2007 .

[10]  Yudhijit Bhattacharjee A Passion for Teaching Leads to Engineering Change in Schools , 2006, Science.

[11]  Michael Knoll,et al.  The Project Method: Its Vocational Education Origin and International Development. , 1997 .

[12]  Robert C. Wicklein Five Good Reasons for Engineering as the Focus for Technology Education , 2006 .

[13]  Sean Brophy,et al.  Advancing Engineering Education in P‐12 Classrooms , 2008 .

[14]  Jacquelyn F. Sullivan,et al.  A Collaborative Process for K-12 Engineering Curriculum Development , 2003 .

[15]  Greg Pearson,et al.  Tech tally : approaches to assessing technological literacy , 2006 .

[16]  Jacquelyn F. Sullivan,et al.  A K‐12/University Partnership: Creating Tomorrow's Engineers* , 2001 .