ENGINEERING THE

CLASSROOM

THE 4Cs, THE ENGINEERING

PROCESS & PROJECT BASED

LEARNING- A REPORT FROM THE

FRONT LINES

A.J. (Nino) Polizzi

CEO, Rocket Science Tutors

949-289-4772

nino@rocketsciencetutors.com

“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a

state of civilization, it expects what never was

and never will be”

- Thomas Jefferson

AGENDA

THE PROBLEM

APPROACH

ROCKET SCIENCE TUTORS (RST)

THE ACADEMY

SUMMARY / CONCLUSIONS

QUESTIONS

STEM LEAKY PIPE

THE WORLD TODAY

RATE OF CHANGE IS ACCELERATING

GLOBAL ECONOMY THREATENS OUR POSITION

TECHNOLOGY CREATES PROSPERITY / SECURITY

TECHNOLOGY REQUIRES EDUCATED WORKFORCE

INDUSTRY & EDUCATION NEED ALIGNMENT

EDUCATION IS THE ROOT CURE

APPROACH

PROJECT BASED LEARNING (PBL)

LEARNING BY DOING

FOUR Cs

COMMUNICATION / COLLABORATION / CREATIVITY / CRITICAL THINKING

ENGINEERING PROCESS

DEFINE PROBLEM

ANALYZE

DESIGN

BUILD / TEST

REVIEW / REFINE / REPEAT

EXCITE AND MOTIVATE STUDENTS IN STEM BY

USING THE ENGINEERING PROCESS TO DEVELOP

THE “FOUR Cs” –

COMMUNICATION

COLLABORATION

CREATIVITY

CRITICAL THINKING

THE FOUR Cs

CONFIDENCE TO TRY AND FAIL

CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO

COMPETE GLOBALLY

CONQUER OUR SITUATION

CONTROL OUR DESTINY

ADDITIONAL Cs

PROJECT BASED LEARNING (PBL)

Real-world problems create interest and provoke serious thinking as

students acquire/apply knowledge in a problem-solving environment

organized around an open-ended driving question or challenge

creates a need to know essential content and skills

requires inquiry to learn and/or create something new

requires the 4Cs critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration,

communication

allows some degree of student voice and choice

incorporates feedback and revision

results in a publicly presented product or performance

Teacher functions as facilitator/coach as appropriate

NEW IDEA? NOT HARDLY! ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN DEWEY (yes,

THAT John Dewey) in 1897:

"The teacher is not in the school to impose certain ideas or to

form certain habits in the child, but is there as a member of the

community to select the influences which shall affect the child

and to assist him in properly responding to these.......I believe,

therefore, in the so-called expressive or constructive activities as

the centre of correlation."

PBL

A) DEFINE THE PROBLEM

What problem are you trying to solve? What do you need to do?

B) ANALYZE

What will you “Need To Know”? What are some possible solutions?

Perform some research on the problem.

C) DESIGN

Sketch some potential designs. Discuss advantages &

disadvantages with the team. When ready, build a prototype

D) BUILD & TEST

Try out the design. Did it work? Did it meet all the requirements?

What changes are needed to make it work better?

E) REVIEW, REFINE, REPEAT

How can the design be improved? Review the process- what did you

learn? What would you do differently next time?

THE ENGINEERING PROCESS

MISSION

Ensure America’s technological future by generating

Interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering &

Math) through real-world examples in a sustained

classroom environment with an all-volunteer corps of

engineers and scientists

ROCKET SCIENCE TUTORS

FOUNDED 2006 WITH A FEW FRIENDS / COWORKERS

TO ADDRESS THE “STEM ISSUE”

ROCKET SCIENCE TUTORS

Bringing STEM to life with real-world examples and hands-on labs. Students use math,

measure performance and experience the thrill of “making something”

CHARACTERISTICS

ALL VOLUNTEER WORKFORCE Engineers/Scientists/UCI Grad Students

24 WEEK AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM Essential for solid understanding

1:5 INSTRUCTOR-STUDENT RATIO Provides technical role models

DESIGN- BUILD-TEST EMPHASIS Includes rockets, bridges, mousetrap cars

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

PREPPING FOR 10th YEAR OF OPERATION

OPERATING AT 4 MIDDLE SCHOOLS & 1 HIGH SCHOOL IN SANTA ANA

PROVIDED 1000+ STUDENT CONTACT HOURS LAST SCHOOL YEAR

CONDUCTED ANNUAL FIELDS TRIP TO UCI ENGINEERING LABS

“GRADUATED” > 600 STUDENTS TO DATE “…they helped me experience what an engineer does.”- Student comment

www.rocketsciencetutors.com

Rev New

Working at Learning

Working at Learning

UCI FIELD TRIP

BRIDGE BUILDING LAB EXPOSES STUDENTS TO THE

ENGINEERING PROCESS AND PROVIDES THEM WITH

A “REAL-LIFE” EXPERIENCE

EACH STUDENT DESIGNS A TRUSS BRIDGE, BUILDS

IT FROM BALSA WOOD AND THEN TESTS TO FAILURE

THROUGH A FAILURE ANALYSIS, STUDENTS LEARN

FROM FAILURE

DESIGN- BUILD-TEST

INTRO TO BRIDGES

BASIC STRUCTURES

TRUSS STUCTURES

BRIDGE REQUIREMENTS

ENGINEERING DRAWING

FABRICATION INSTRUCTIONS

TEST TO DESTRUCT

FAILURE ANALYSIS

LAB 036: BRIDGE BUILDING

BUILDING BRIDGES 8TH

GRADE

BRIDGE BUILDING- 11th

GRADE

PUBLIC, CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL OPENED AUG 2014

LOCATED AT FAIRVIEW & 17TH

IN SANTA ANA

FOCUS ON COLLEGE & CAREER READINESS

ENGINEERING & DESIGN PATHWAY CURRICULUM

SOLID FOUNDATION

ENGINERING CURRICULUM AT THE ACADEMY IS DEVELOPED BY

ENGINEERS WITH EXTENSIVE INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE

CURRICULUM IS PROVIDED IN A PROJECT BASED LEARNING (PBL)

ENVIRONMENT WITH A “HANDS-ON”, DESIGN/BUILD/TEST

APPROACH

REAL-LIFE SKILLS IN COMMUNICATION, COLLABORATION,

CREATIVITY AND CRITICAL THINKING ARE EMPHASIZED

SUMMARY

• STEM BANDWAGON HAS LOTS OF RIDERS- NOT ALL THEM

UNDERSTAND STEM OR ENGINEERING!

• STUDENTS RESPOND WELL TO THE “ENGINEERING” APPROACH

AND ENJOY THE CHALLENGE OF “LEARN BY DOING”

• MATH SKILLS NEED IMPROVEMENT!

• DON’T WAIT UNTIL HIGH SCHOOL TO “INFUSE” STEM

• STUDENTS HAVE LITTLE “BUILD” EXPERIENCE BUT ARE EAGER

TO LEARN

• TEACHING IS A LOT OF WORK!