Exploring Technology": A Novel Introduction of Prospective Engineers and Early Childhood Teachers to Science and Technology

9354482 Miaoulis这个项目建议开发一种新的课程，它将源于工程学院和儿童研究系之间的密切合作，并将为两个独立的主要问题提供共同的解决方案：幼儿教师在理解和教授科学和技术方面的准备不足，以及工程学学生的热情培养和留住。工程学教师团队，以及研究生和本科生将开发一个协调的迷你课程池，专注于令人兴奋的应用科学和技术主题。这些课程将是跨学科的，将包括开放式实验室和/或实地经验，将涉及长达一学期的团队项目，并将被设计为允许没有大学水平背景的学生参加。虽然这些课程将是严谨的，强调深度而不是广度，但将特别注意创造对科学和工程过程的理解和欣赏。工程学新生和儿童研究专业的学生将各自选择并选修其中的两门课程。除了这些课程外，主修儿童研究的学生，即未来的K-3教师，将参加科学和技术课程开发研讨会-课程，培训他们将技术知识转移到适合幼儿的教学单位的发展中。课程的重点性质将使拟议的课程从根本上发展，因为课程的提出和开发将遵循个人研究和个别教职员工的其他兴趣，同时得到来自顶层的支持，得到强有力的机构承诺的支持。该项目将由该大学分担费用，可以很容易地传播到许多学院和大学，这些学院和大学将科学和/或工程系与教师培训单位结合起来。***

9354482 Miaoulis This project proposes to develop a novel curriculum that will stem from a strong partnership between the College of Engineering and the Department of Child Study and will provide a common solution to two separate major problems: the inadequate preparation of early childhood teachers in understanding and teaching science and technology, and the enthusiasm generation and retention of engineering students. Teams of engineering faculty members, and graduate and undergraduate students will develop a coordinated pool of mini-courses that focus on exciting topics of applied science and technology. These courses will be interdisciplinary in nature, will include open-ended laboratory and/or field experiences, will involve semester-long team projects and will be designed to allow students with no previous college-level background to participate. Although the courses will be rigorous and emphasize depth versus breadth, special attention will be given to creating an understanding and appreciation for the scientific and engineering process. Engineering freshmen and Child Study majors will each select and take two of these courses. In addition to these courses, Child Study majors, the future K-3 teachers, will take a Science and Technology Curriculum Development seminar-course that will train them to transfer technical knowledge to the development of teaching units appropriate for young children. The focused nature of the courses will allow the proposed program to grow from the roots, since courses will be proposed and developed following personal research and other interests of individual faculty members, while being supported from the top, by a strong institutional commitment. The project, which will be cost-shared by the university, can be easily disseminated to numerous colleges and universities that combine science and/or engineering departments with teacher preparation units. ***