Over the past three years, the authors have conducted research in middle and high school classrooms in an effort to improve the effectiveness of robotics to teach science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education--their focus has been on math. The authors have found that subtle changes in the design and setup of the lesson make a…

Students get very excited when confronted with problems that they find meaningful. Problem-based learning lets students solve problems using the strategies and tools that scientists use. While developing solutions via technological design and construction, students experience firsthand the relationship between science and technology. To capture…

A robotics contest encouraged research into robotics and gave students an opportunity to share their work and to build a robot with practical application for use in the home. (JOW)

In the classroom, it is often challenging to find new ways to approach and present complex material. This is particularly true in design education, where innovation is highly valued and often required. A student developing a design for a new product has to successfully resolve multiple variables simultaneously while refining his/her own…

Presents a design brief to illustrate a simple technique that can be used to teach problem-solving and critical thinking skills. (JOW)

This article addresses how to help students develop an aptitude for seeing relationships between elements and puzzling out new forms in doing so. Four different approaches are presented. Each illustrates a way that industrial designers work in considering the form of a product. A classroom activity is included.

In this article, the authors discusses Visualization in Technology Education (VisTE). VisTE units are designed to enhance students' knowledge in science, develop good visual and presentation skills, understand emerging technologies, and most of all help with the integration of standards that promote technological literacy. Technological changes…

Teaching design involves more than instruction on manipulative skills of using tools and making drawings. It involves teaching students to use their minds and hands to solve problems. Teacher preparation and a change in student attitudes are required. (Contains 22 references.) (JOW)

Hibbard describes the process used by students at Millersville University to build a human-powered submarine for entry in an international submarine competition. Edwards discusses the Design Technology Exhibit held at Lu Sutton Elementary School, the purpose of which was to challenge students to design a useful structure and provide them with the…

Many problem-solving activities include mathematical principles but students do not use them during the design and experimentation phases before creating a prototype or product. Restricting the amount and/or type of materials available to students will require them to calculate and requisition the materials needed. (JOW)

Describes an engineering design course that is taught at the postsecondary level but can be adapted for secondary education. It presents the steps in the design process and illustrates, using a matrix, the tradeoffs necessary in design. (JOW)

The integration of problem solving into the technology education laboratory means there will be changes in the ways in which teachers structure activities for learners and the manner in which teachers behave. (JOW)

A study of 44 teachers who had experience in implementing problem-solving activities in technology education classes concluded that problem-solving activities are becoming an integral part of technology education. The outcomes of such activities depend on the processes and thinking techniques taught and applied. (JOW)

Technology educators are constantly in search of new tools and methods to enhance the education of their students. This article is an excerpt from a longer article published in "The Technology Teacher" that introduced the technology education community to a research- and knowledge-based methodology for design--invention and innovation. This…

Almost every K-8 technology activity includes feedback. Technology teachers generally view the input-process-output paradigm as being incomplete. A step toward completion would be the inclusion of a "feedback" component incorporating reengineering. This article provides an example of how one activity evolved through several stages to include…