The Materials World Modules Program: Incorporating Technology in Pre-College Education
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The Materials World Modules Program: Incorporating Technology in Pre-College Education
Matthew Hsu Materials Research Center Northwestern University 2225 North Campus Drive Evanston, IL 60208 Renee DeWald Evanston Township High School 1600 Dodge Avenue Evanston, IL 60201 Ken Turner Schaumburg High School 1100 West Schaumburg Road Schaumburg, IL 60194 ABSTRACT Incorporating technology in pre-college education is an important goal. There is a clear mandate from the national education standards movement to address the issues of scientific and technologically literate citizenship. The Materials World Modules (MWM) Program uses a unique approach based upon design and inquiry to unite the abstract, quantitative methods of scientific inquiry with the concrete methods of technological design to help students develop and integrate these complementary skills. By experiencing MWM, students learn science by doing science. Using the MWM modules, students will be doing what scientists and engineers do: integrating the design process of propose, build, test and evaluate with the inquiry process of question, predict, experiment, reflect, and communicate. This kind of active application of learning leads to mastery of scientific concepts and greater retention.
INTRODUCTION With the growing importance of technology, and in particular, materials technology, to our society, it is vital that our students understand the fundamental nature of the technology that continues to sustain our national economy [1-3]. Students must develop an awareness of what technology is, how it is created, and how it impacts our society if they’re to help shape our technological future. Most often, however, the term “technology” is associated only with computer technology in the secondary schools. Indeed the computer has become an effective tool for students to interface with many laboratory experiments, conduct research, perform data analysis, and communicate results. But it is more or less an exercise of learning with technology rather than learning to “do” technology, which is the mandate of several national standards movement [4,5]. From the Greek word techne, meaning art or artifice or craft, technology GG3.4.1
literally means the act of making or crafting, but more generally it refers to the diverse collection of devices, processes and the knowledge that people use to extend human abilities and to satisfy human needs and wants. The Materials World Modules (MWM) Program has developed a series of supplemental, modular curricula to help students gain a proper perspective of how materials technology truly impacts them in familiar contexts, such as the homes, schools, and even national and global communities. The modules incorporate design technology or engineering design and engage students experientially in “doing” technology (in which they propose, design, build and test a product to meet a specific need) in the secondary science classrooms. TEACHING SCIENCE THROUGH DESIGN The challenge to integrate science and technology The relationship between scie
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