GK-12: Adventure Engineering: An Inquiry Learning, Design Driven Approach to Middle Grade Science and Mathematics Education

该项目旨在将令人兴奋的基于冒险的场景，解决方案，其中需要探究学习和工程设计方法，到中年级（5-9）科学和数学教室。中年级学生赢得了与冒险的场景，例如，设计刚果，火星使命，充满了精心制作的障碍，例如，净水、发电、路线优化。水平适当的科学和/或数学原则编织成的障碍。然后，学生小组通过探究性学习和工程设计方法来解决所提出的障碍，从实验到概念化再到原型构建和测试。这个课程，编织m所需的科学和/或数学内容的目的是取代现有的中级content.A团队（AE团队）将开发工程研究生和本科研究员，中级科学和数学教师从城市，郊区和农村学校，以及教师从科学教育，数学教育和工程在俄克拉荷马州大学的冒险工程课程。工程研究员将在相关标准，现有课程和探究学习方法，通过观察和参与中年级课堂，参与教育方法课程的学院，以及与中年级教师的研讨会进行广泛的准备。在为期三年的项目中，AE团队将在基于冒险的工程前提下开发基于探究和设计的科学和数学课程，并进行认真的评估。为了容纳中年级教师，AE团队将在学年期间的每个星期六上午在教室外会面，并在夏季举行为期一天的研讨会。在AE团队会议之间，研究员将与指定的教师一起在中年级教室开发和实施课程。每年，工程研究员将通过寻找不同的教师和协助他们与冒险工程课程的实施增加外展活动。该课程将被开发和准备用于网络传播，以便在三年项目期之后自我维持。冒险工程计划旨在激励那些关键的中等年级学生，特别是妇女和少数民族学生，否则他们将不会从事技术职业。为此，冒险工程课程将开发和实施约72间教室，其中一半将主要是少数民族教室在俄克拉荷马州市。AE团队研究员将从俄克拉荷马州大学杰出的多元文化工程项目中招募，并得到该项目的专门协助。

This project is designed to integrate exciting adventure-based scenarios, solutions to which require inquiry learning and an engineering design approach, into the middle grade (5-9) science and mathematics classrooms. Middle grade students win be posed with adventurous scenarios, e.g., Engineering the Congo, Mission to Mars, filled with carefully crafted obstacles, e.g., water purification, power generation, route optimization. The level appropriate science and/or mathematics principles are woven into the obstacles. Student groups then develop solutions to the posed obstacles through inquiry learning and the engineering design approach, running the gamut from experimentation to conceptualization to prototype construction and testing. This curriculum that weaves m the required science and/or math content is designed to replace the existing middle grade content.A team (AE Team) will develop the Adventure Engineering curriculum of engineering graduate and undergraduate Fellows, middle grade science and mathematics teachers from urban, suburban and rural schools, and faculty from Science Education, Mathematics Education, and Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. The engineering fellows will be extensively prepared in the pertinent standards, existing curriculum, and inquiry learning method through observation and participation in the middle grade classrooms, participation in College of Education methods courses, and workshops with middle grade teachers. During the three-year project, the AE Team will develop inquiry and design based science and math curriculum, with diligent assessment, under the adventure-based engineering premise. To accomodate the middle grade teachers, the AE Team will meet outside the classroom monthly on Saturday mornings during the academic year and for daylong workshops in the summer. Between AE Team meetings, the Fellows will work to develop and implement curriculum with the designated teachers in the middle grade classrooms. Each year, the engineering Fellows will increase outreach activity by seeking different teachers and assisting them with Adventure engineering curriculum implementation. The curriculum will be developed and prepared for web-dissemination to be self-sustaining beyond the three-year project period.The Adventure Engineering program is designed to motivate those students in the critical middle grades that otherwise would not pursue technical careers, particularly women and minorities. To this end, the Adventure Engineering curriculum will be developed for and implemented in approximately 72 classrooms, half of which will be predominantly minority classrooms in Oklahoma City. The AE team Fellows will be recruited from and with the dedicated assistance of the outstanding Multicultural Engineering Program at the University of Oklahoma.