Professional Learning

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) 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 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 include training on scoring design portfolios using MyDesign and the EDPPSR. 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. January PD and added PL opportunities also address stereotypes, stereotype threat, and implicit bias, as well as inclusive pedagogical practices that support students with exceptionalities 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 are also assigned a university liaison as part of the CoP. University liaisons share their engineering expertise, connect teachers with other engineers in different fields, and also 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.