Professional Learning (PL)

 

The mission of Engineering for US All (e4usa) encompasses both students and teachers. Paramount to the success of e4usa is the construction and delivery of professional learning (PL) throughout the year experiences to prepare and support teachers with different levels of engineering training instruction as they implement the course. 

Teachers are introduced to the curriculum and inclusive classroom practices through a structured Summer PD (professional development) and year-round PL that involve hands-on teaching and learning experiences that enhance teachers’ confidence and requisite skills to teach engineering design. Continued PL opportunities each fall for new e4usa teachers include training on scoring design portfolios using MyDesign Platform and Rubric. Training and support are provided with regard to assessing students within the course, providing feedback, and the end-of-unit and end-of-course assessments. Winter PD and added PL opportunities support teachers' planning and instructional practices, including Universal Design for Learning and other inclusive pedagogical practices that support all students, whitch is in alignment with the critical mission of e4usa. 

Ongoing and continuous support is also provided through the e4usa community of practice (CoP). Part of the e4usa mission has been to welcome teachers with varying degrees of experience in industry and teaching. The demand for engineering teachers is on the rise across the US as more and more K-12 schools look to offer engineering courses. Recruiting practicing engineers to switch careers and enter teacher preparation programs has proven to be insufficient. This has led schools to turn to teachers with limited training in engineering, which could potentially have a significant national impact on student engineering education. e4usa developed a CoP in order to support a broad array of teacher backgrounds and experiences, which continues to be of great importance moving forward. Collective learning and trust-building within the community continue to be cultivated through discussion boards, synchronous online meetings, and other modalities of communication and connection. Additionally, teachers receive added support from their e4usa coach and team of 4-5 teachers. Together, teachers meet monthly as a small group and frequently communicate with one another as they teach the e4usa curriculum. Teachers may work with liaisons from a university or from industry as part of the CoP. Liaisons share their engineering expertise, connect teachers with other engineers in different fields, and help teachers source engineering design challenges. The sum of these activities requires sustained commitment from participating e4usa teachers, who engage in an intensive PD experience in the summer, and subsequent PL and CoP throughout the year. 

We are eager to welcome new teachers and schools to e4usa. Our application for 2023-2024 is open and the registration costs for participating in our professional learning and community of practice can be found here: https://e4usa.org/partners.

 

 

 

Summer Professional Development

Teachers engage in a two-week, synchronous and asynchronous online summer professional development that supports teachers based on their roles and years engaged in e4usa.
The dates for the Summer Professional Development are listed below:

New Teacher PD: July 10-21 (no Wednesdays) from 11:00 - 1:30 PM ET

2nd Year Returning Teacher PD: July 10, 11, 17-21 (no Wednesdays) from 11:00 - 1:30 PM ET and July 13-14 from 2:00 - 4:30 PM ET

3rd-5th Year Returning Teacher PD: July 13-14 from 2:00 - 4:30 PM ET

Coach PD: July 13-14 from 11:00 - 1:30 ET

 

MyDesign Platform and Scoring Rubric

 

The series of five sessions occurring in the autumn primarily focus on the MyDesign scoring rubric and how to use it with students. Teachers use MyDesign as a tool and have opportunities to focus on navigating the platform.

Winter Professional Development

 

The Winter Professional Development is an opportunity for all teachers to gather again to reflect on the first half of the academic year and look forward and plan for units 5-7 and unit 8 of the e4usa curriculum.

End-of-Year Teacher Celebration

As the school year comes to a close, fellow e4usa teachers celebrate together with fun virtual activities and nominations.

Engineering Teacher Professional Development Endorsement (ETPDE)

The growth of professional development (PD) opportunities for PreK-12 engineering educators raises a number of important questions for providers and consumers of such programs. To address these multiple needs, the ASEE has developed the Engineering Teacher Professional Development Endorsement (ETPDE), a system for endorsing PD programs. This endorsement is based on the 2014 Standards for Preparation and Professional Development for Teachers of Engineering and the associated matrix.

The e4usa New Teacher Professional Learning has been endorsed by ETPDE, and is valid for three years (January 1, 2022- December 31, 2024).

Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

As a result of engaging in e4usa PD and PL, teachers and coaches receive CEUs from the University of Maryland.

Read about Research on e4usa Professional Learning

Review our publications here.


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