On a sunny day this past August, the Engineering is Elementary (EiE) classroom at the Museum of Science, Boston was filled with laughter as elementary teachers from schools across Massachusetts tested the tabletop towers they'd built from index cards. Could such lightweight constructions support a small stuffed animal?

The exercise was one component of “Everyone Engineers,” a workshop that introduces educators to the EiE curriculum. We host similar workshops all year round, but this one was special: All of the participants were here as scholarship recipients, selected through a competitive process to receive everything they needed to implement EiE in their classrooms . . . including this professional development experience.

The 20 scholarships awarded this summer were made possible thanks to a grant from the technology company Oracle to the Museum’s National Center for Technological Literacy® (NCTL®), where EiE is based. [For a complete list of Oracle - EiE scholarship recipients, click HERE.]

Engineering is Elementary’s engineering design process (ASK-IMAGINE-PLAN-CREATE-IMPROVE) guides young children through hands-on problem solving.  Now we’re using the same process to help solve a critical problem in America today: the need for engineering instruction in K – 12 classrooms

A Museum of Science, Boston team that includes three EiE staff members is one of 12 groups selected for the first annual 100Kin10 Fellowship Program. The initiative aims to create a community of problem-solvers who will find new ways to bring engineering education to more elementary, middle, and high schools across the country.  

Recent changes in Massachusetts academic standards mean that teachers in the state will be integrating more engineering content and practices with the science lessons they teach.This new expectation for STEM instruction can be uncomfortable for elementary teachers, who don’t usually take engineering coursework as part of their teacher preparation.

A recent grant to the Museum of Science, Boston by the information technology company Oracle will help 20 Massachusetts educators boost their classroom engineering skills as they learn to use the award-winning Engineering is Elementary curriculum, developed at the Museum's National Center for Technological Literacy®