Editorial: A rationale for incorporating engineering education into the teacher education curriculum

Abstract

Investment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education has been identified by the U.S. Department of Education and other agencies as a pressing need. Although science and mathematics, and to a lesser extent, technology-based learning opportunities have been important features of past educational programs sponsored by the National Science Foundation and can be readily found in K-12 curriculums, the E (" engineering ") in STEM is underrepresented. Currently, few efforts are focused on an intensive, long-term, coherent approach to incorporating engineering content and methods into teachers' preservice or in-service professional development. However, some schools of education are beginning to consider ways in which engineering might be integrated into the teacher education curriculum. The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has convened a Symposium on K-12 Engineering Education[a] that will report the results of a 2-year study of the appropriate role of engineering education in the K-12 curriculum. The report will consider issues such as the role of engineering education in the K-12 classroom in contrast to engineering education in postsecondary institutions. The NAE study reports that a small but vibrant and growing effort is underway to introduce kids to engineering in K-12 schools (the report details these efforts), through both formal (in-classroom) curriculum and informal (out-of-school) experience. Future efforts could build on this foundation but will be hampered by lack of preservice teacher preparation in this area.