TEI participants share ideas and strategies for effective EiE PD.

Earlier this month we announced a landmark: more than 10 million children have engaged in hands-on classroom engineering with EiE! We’re equally excited to mention another landmark: Since 2003, more than 100,000 teachers have taught EiE lessons to their students. To meet the growing demand for EiE professional development (PD), we’re growing a cadre of highly qualified PD providers. These educators learn to facilitate EiE workshops at a special three-day program called the Teacher Educator Institute (TEI).

Extend math learning with a line plot for “Designing Bridges” data.

To date, 42 states and the District of Columbia have adopted Common Core State Standards for Math. What does that mean in the classroom? Students still have to learn to add, subtract, measure, and make bar graphs. They're also expected to develop a deep understanding of math concepts and be able to apply math outside the classroom. Hands-on engineering is ideal for putting math in a real-world context, and Engineering is Elementary's newest teacher workshop, "Linking the E & M in STEM" (LEMSTEM), is packed with creative strategies for meaningful integration of math and engineering.

The EiE website underwent a major redesign in 2014 . . .  and educators noticed! This past June the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) named eie.org a 2015 “Best Website for Teaching & Learning.” As part of the award, AASL sponsors a series of webinars so you can learn more about each site. Registration for the EiE webinar is now open.

The hour-long session is scheduled for Weds. February 3^rd, 2016 at 5 PM Eastern. It’s free and open to the public, but only the first 100 registrants are guaranteed a spot. So if you’re interested, register today!  

Every Engineering is Elementary unit includes four lessons. Lesson #4  is a hands-on design challenge that engages students in designing and building a technology: a windmill, alarm circuit, knee brace, and so on. When I faciliate EiE professional development workshops, participants often ask me: “Do I HAVE to teach all four lessons? Can't I just skip to Lesson 4?"

A recent study by the business data company WalletHub ranked Alabama one of the worst states in the nation for quality of K-12 education.

The state has been working hard to change that, though, notably with a plan to improve STEM education through America’s largest and most comprehensive math and science program, the $30-million Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative, or AMSTI.  

Recently, we learned that Engineering is Elementary will be part of this initiative, and in a big way. Alabama just adopted new science standards that include engineering practices . . . and EiE was selected as a resource that can help schools meet those standards.