Transforming Elementary Science Learning through LEGO(TM) Engineering Design

Tufts University, Medford MA

Investigators

Abstract

This project addresses the need for improved learning and teaching of science in the elementary grades. The investigators propose to address this need through the development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative engineering-based science curriculum for grades 3-5. The first specific objective of this activity is to measure what and how students learn from engineering design challenges tailored to standards-based science concepts. The second objective is to establish best practices for designing engineering curricula that are more effective at promoting students' fundamental understanding of and interest in science content. The third objective is to determine whether engineering contexts improve elementary teachers' practice of science instruction. In this activity, we seek to advance theory, design, and practice in the emerging field of elementary-school engineering education, which we believe can motivate and deepen the learning of science. To accomplish the proposed goals, researchers will collaborate closely with participating Boston-area teachers. During year one, investigators will collaborate with teachers to develop a series of curriculum modules that pose engineering design challenges whose solutions require understanding of specific science content. The learning objectives of these modules will be aligned with the National Science Education Standards (NSES) for grades K-4 and the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Frameworks for grades 3-5. The instruction and assessments will be designed according to three sets of requirements: (1) the concerns and experience of the collaborating classroom teachers, (2) the Project 2061 criteria for science curriculum set forth by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and (3) the analytical, creative, and practical domains of Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of Intelligence. The curriculum will use the LEGO(TM) MINDSTORMS toolset for prototype construction and ROBOLAB (TM) software for algorithm development. These instructional materials have been proven to be engaging and authentic tools for children's engineering. One example of a proposed curriculum module is "Cities in Motion," in which students spend six sessions building and programming LEGO (TM) robotic models of a typical city's fleet of vehicles, including cars, snowplows, bicycles, trains, and buses. Students program their vehicles to interact with each other and work to meet requirements for weight, speed, and strength. Desire to succeed in this engineering design project will motivate students' mastery of NSES content standards about "Position and Motion of Objects," "Properties of Objects and Materials," and "Systems, Order, and Organization." The data from teacher and student studies will be analyzed to answer the following three driving research questions: (1) Does engineering-based science instruction improve 3rd-5th grade students' analytical, creative, practical abilities related to science content, as well as their memory of science content? (2) How are the attitude, engagement, and self-efficacy of both teachers and students affected by the use of engineering design problems to teach science? (3) Does the efficacy of engineering based science instruction depend on demographic characteristics of the students? The primary intellectual merit of the proposed activity includes (1) the contribution of needed systematic research on the efficacy of elementary-level engineering education for science instruction, and (2) the development of new and potentially more effective methods for engineering-based science instruction. The broader impact resulting from the proposed activity is that educators will be empowered to (1) prepare students for a society that is increasingly dependent on understanding of engineering and technology and (2) to build students' interest and competence in math and science. This impact will be achieved through the dissemination of the instructional materials, pedagogical innovations, and research findings generated by collaborating investigators and teachers.