National Symposium on K-12 Engineering Education

美国国家工程院和国家研究理事会要求资助举办一个研讨会，以传播一个私人资助的为期两年的研究结果，研究向美国K-12学生教授工程学的现状和性质。 研讨会和其他传播活动向主要利益相关者通报了工程作为K-12 STEM教育要素的作用和潜力，并通报了关注工程教育的组织和个人的计划活动。 该报告提供了工程的简史，审查了K-12工程教育的好处的证据，讨论了大量的课程项目和相关的教师专业发展工作，总结了与学生如何学习工程概念和实践相关的认知科学文献，并以委员会的调查结果和建议作为结论。 该报告对有兴趣提高美国K-12 STEM教育质量的个人和团体特别感兴趣：工程教育工作者、政策制定者、雇主和那些关心技术劳动力发展的人，以及那些致力于提高公众技术素养的人。 对于教育研究人员和认知科学家来说，该报告揭示了一系列与学生如何以及在何种条件下理解工程和设计思维有关的问题。

The National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council request funding to hold a workshop to disseminate the findings of a privately-funded, two-year study of the status and nature of efforts to teach engineering to U.S. K-12 students. The symposium and other dissemination activities inform key stakeholders about the role and potential of engineering as an element of K-12 STEM education and also inform the programmatic activities of organizations and individuals concerned about engineering education. The report provides a brief history of engineering, reviews the evidence for the benefits of K-12 engineering education, discusses a large number of curriculum projects and associated teacher professional development efforts, summarizes the cognitive science literature related to how students learn engineering concepts and practices, and concludes with the committee's findings and recommendations. The report is of special interest to individuals and groups interested in improving the quality of K-12 STEM education in the U.S.: engineering educators, policy makers, employers, and those concerned with development of the technical workforce, as well as those working to boost technological literacy of the general public. For educational researchers and for cognitive scientists, the report exposes a rich set of questions related to how and under what conditions students come to understand engineering and design thinking.