Student and Teacher (Mis)Conceptions of Engineering

Christine Cunningham

Museum of Science, Boston

What is Engineering?Name:__________________Age:____I am: male female (please circle one) Briefly answer the questions below in one or two sentences. Don’t worry about being right or wrong—just write what you think.

(1)In your own words, what is engineering?(2)What does an engineer do? (3)Draw a picture of an engineer at work.

(4) Please describe your picture.

(5)List three things that are created by engineers.a.__________________________________b.__________________________________c._______________________________

Engineers….Build bridges, buildings, and roads

Engineers….Fix cars, engines, and machines

Engineers….Use or fix computers

Engineers….Drive trains

What is Engineering? (students)

What is Engineering?

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“An engineer is a person who…”

• Most common response: “engineers fix things”

• When more specific, they indicated that items fixed included buildings, cars, electricity/wiring, phones, motors/engines and technology. – “works with special technology to fix things”

“An engineer is a person who…”

• Second most common response: engineers build things

• Those who were specific about what was being built usually mentioned buildings or wiring– “bills thing and wacks as a team. And most

are boys.”– “Makes stof and brakes stof.”– “An engineer is some one how does

lectrisady.”

“An engineer is a person who…”

Other responses:

• “I don’t know”

• Engineers work/operate things

• Attributes of engineers– “Has a vevry in porting job.”– “is very, very very smart at math”

• Engineers design or improve things

What is Engineering? (teachers)What kinds of work do engineers do for their jobs?

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An engineer is a person who…# respondent

% respondents

     

(10) Respondent refers to features of engineer as a person 8 10.6%

(20) Respondent refers to self knowledge 4 5.3%

(30) Helps people/humankind 19 25.3%

(40) Designs/improves technologies 49 65.3%

(50) Constructs/makes technologies 33 44.0%

(60) Reference to object of engineer's work 11 14.7%

(70) Fixes technology 1 1.3%

(80) Operates technology 3 4.0%

(90) Respondent refers to how an engineer works 35 46.7%

What is Technology? (students)

What is Technology?

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How do you know if something is technology?

• Most common response: it uses/has electricity– “I think I know because I think that technology is

something with power or electrisaty”– “stuf that thay did not have in the old day's that runs

on elechric”– “I know technologh because you need to plug it in that

is why I know.”– “it works by bataries or by a plug. A lot of the time

you miteuse a charger.”– “I think I know because these thing work on electricity.

These thing can eletrify you.”

How do you know if something is technology?

• Next most common response: mentioning the function of technology– “Technology is something that makes you

learn like books and a computer.”– “technology is something that makes it easyer

for people so they won't have to do all that stofe”

How do you know if something is technology?

• Because it was created by people– “you can find out if something is technology if

it is made by human minds”– “I know if something is technology because it

takes lots of men to build something and because it takes a very long time.”

What is Technology? (teachers)

What is Technology?

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Science and/vs EngineeringScience and/vs Engineering

Engineering is Elementary (EiE)

Lessons that integrate engineering and technology concepts into elementary science.

Goal 1. Increase children’s level of technological literacy

Goal 2. Increase elementary teachers’ understanding of technology and engineering and their abilities to teach these subjects to their students

Goal 3. Modify the U.S. system of education to include engineering at the elementary level.

EiE UnitsScience Topic Eng Field Technology CountryWater Environmental Water Filters IndiaInsects/Plants Agricultural Pollinators Dominican

RepublicWind & Weather Mechanical Windmills DenmarkSimple Machines Industrial Redesign Potato USA (Af

Am)Chip Factory

Earth Materials Materials Walls ChinaBalance & Forces Civil Bridges USA (Hisp)Sound Acoustical Animal Sound Ghana

RepresentationOrganisms Bioengineering Model Membranes El SalvadorElectricity Electrical Alarm Circuits AustraliaSolids & Liquids Chemical Playdough Process CanadaLandforms Geotechnical Bridge Siting NepalPlants Packaging Plant Package JordanMagnetism Transportation Maglev Vehicle JapanEnergy & Power BotswanaSolar System Astronautical Brazil

Science and Math

• Lesson 1: Engineering Story• Lesson 2: A Broader View of an Engineering

Field• Lesson 3: Scientific Data Inform

Engineering Design• Lesson 4: Engineering Design

Challenge

What is Engineering?

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What is Engineering?New Items

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What is Technology?

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Contact Information

• Christine Cunningham: ccunningham@mos.org

• National Center for Technological Literacy: www.nctl.org

• Engineering is Elementary: www.mos.org/EiE