What You Will Learn
By combining social-emotional learning with the Engineering Is Elementary (EiE) Engineering Design Process, elementary school classrooms that integrate the EiE curriculum become environments for collaborative problem solving among students.
Participate in EiE professional development facilitated by WestEd, and you will:
- Understand the difference between technology and engineering
- Learn the EiE Engineering Design Process, a series of steps that engineers follow to come up with a solution to a problem; many times the solution involves designing a product (an object, system, or process) that meets certain criteria and/or accomplishes a certain task
- Understand the structure of the EiE curriculum and units
- Become an engineer and experience one EiE curriculum unit
- Correlate the Common Core State Standards-English Language Arts to EiE lessons
- Correlate the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) science and engineering practices to EiE lessons
Who Will Benefit
- Elementary School Teachers
- District and School Administrators who will be supporting teachers’ implementation of science and engineering in their classrooms
- Middle School Science Teachers who want to understand how to implement engineering into their science curriculum
Service Details
You will receive customized training and support to help your elementary school students participate in engaging, interactive, critical thinking, and problem-solving engineering activities.
Below is a list of the EiE professional development workshops you can choose from, depending on your needs. For all workshops, you will receive:
- Information about all 20 EiE units
- Professional development discussions (e.g., facilitation skills, questioning strategies, EiE goals and values)
- Online support materials and content connections to other curricular areas
- Handouts and professional development presenter guide
- Information on EiE after-school programs and other resources
Plan A: 1-Day Workshop
In this overview training, you will become an engineer and experience one EiE curriculum unit, as well as learn the:
- Difference between technology and engineering
- Engineering Design Process
- Structure of the EiE curriculum and units
- EiE connections to CCSS-ELA
- EiE connections to the NGSS science and engineering practices
Plan B: 2-Day Workshop
This training comprises Plan A plus 1 day of support for teachers working in an EiE unit of their choice. You will:
- “Prep” materials for unit use in the classroom
- Design specific prompts and strategies/activities that address CCSS-ELA and Mathematics
- Receive on-site support for customized technical support, which could include, but is not limited to, team teaching a lesson, planning and setting up a lesson, logistics (daily specifics for teaching engineering), and materials management.
Plan C: 2-Day Workshop
This training comprises Plan B plus two on-site days of support with the teacher’s unit of choice. Depending on your needs, you will:
- Learn how to team-teach a lesson
- Learn how to plan and set up a lesson
- Receive customized technical support
3-Day Teacher Educator Workshop
Participate in this workshop and become a certified trainer for EiE for your district.
What Makes This Service Unique
EiE, developed by the Museum of Science in Boston and facilitated by WestEd, aligns with the CCSS Literacy in Science Standards and with the science and engineering practices and standards in the Next Generation Science Standards.
EiE is more than students just doing an activity. Each of the EiE curriculum units immerses students into a specific field of engineering where they become engineers to solve a problem. Through a series of activities, students learn how engineers solve problems through a cycle of brainstorming, designing solutions, collecting data, and developing a model to solve the problem.
Join the thousands of teachers who are benefiting and feeling confident implementing the EiE curriculum in their classrooms and teaching engineering to their students.
Cost
One-Day Workshop (Plan A)
$3000 for up to 30 participants and includes workshop materials.
Two-Day Workshop (Plan B)
$5,000 for up to 30 participants. Includes one-day workshop plus one day where teachers organize and set-up a specific unit to use in their classroom.
Three-Day Teacher Educator Workshop
$500 per participant, with a minimum of 24 participants and maximum of 30 participants. This workshop includes light breakfast and lunch and workshop materials. At the end of the training, each participant can choose from several EiE binders that will be mailed to them.
Learn More
Learn more about Engineering Is Elementary by contacting Jody Sherriff at 916.764.4710 or email jskidmo@wested.org.
EiE is an excellent inquiry-based STEM curriculum that teaches students thinking and reasoning skills needed for success. Built around the engineering design process, EiE teaches kids how to solve problems systematically . . . creating skills, optimism, and attitudes important for their futures. Life is not multiple choice.”
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