(32b) Working with a Middle School to Build Curriculum Dedicated to Engineering Principles

This talk will describe the origins, development, and current progress of a class dedicated to incorporating engineering principles at a middle school. Two middle school teachers---one a science teacher and the other a math teacher---have combined efforts this past year to implement STEM integration at the school through the initiation of an elective ``Engineering Course''. Through a small-scale university-funded program emulating the NSF's GK 12 programs, the author has had opportunity to work alongside these teachers both in and out of the classroom to develop and execute new design-oriented curricula based on sound principles and an emphasis on systematicness. The successes, inadequacies, and challenges will be discussed in terms of students' and teachers' enthusiasm, aptitudes, and expectations, as well as the current and future relationship between K12 school teachers and universities.