It is critically important to understand what engineering is and what it is not. Environmental engineering is not just explaining different types of alternative energy sources to your students and moving on. There is so much more creativity to it than that. “Throughout human history, engineering has driven the advance of civilization.”
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Using creative and critical thinking, engineers think about how to solve current issues and predict the outcomes of these solutions. They choose to implement the solutions that are the most efficient, cost effective, and will last the longest. Many times, engineers have many ideas that never come to fruition. This is also an important lesson for young students to learn, not every idea is going to a be a good one. One must be able to determine which idea will have the best outcome in the long term.
Environmental engineering goes beyond this and takes into consideration the current state of our planet. “Environmental engineers use the principles of engineering, soil science, biology, and chemistry to develop solutions to environmental problems. They are involved in efforts to improve recycling, waste disposal, public health, and water and air pollution control.”
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Environmental engineers look at many different factors while they are considering solutions to implement. A lot of time and thought goes into calculated decisions; which is also an important lesson for young children who are normally impatient. They want things to work right away and the first time which is not always the case in engineering.
Engineering relies heavily on predictions. Often, young students are told that making prediction is making an educated guess. They are often told to use the sentence frame “If we do this, then this will happen”. An important distinction with engineering is that you are trying to predict an outcome before doing any of the building or in advance of an event. This changes the way that students would have to think about their predictions, they are not just thinking about what will happen in the experiment, but what the lasting impact would be. Another concept that goes along with predictability is mitigation. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) defines mitigation as “the effort to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters.”
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Engineers predict the outcome of scenarios with mitigation in mind. The solution that they come up with must not cause any further harm than the original problem. For this reason alone, engineers think of many different solutions before implementing any of them. They must make sure that the outcome will not cause any further damage.
This type of thinking may be hard for students since time is a relatively new concept to them as well. However, this type of thinking can be related back to cause and effect which students do learn about in literacy. Students learn how causes and effect can impact the outcome of a story. Which means that they can apply this to thinking as an engineer would. Beyond just making predictions for what will happen in an experiment they must think for the long term. What will the lasting impact be? Will the solution cause further trouble or harm? If the answer to that question is yes, then it is not a good solution to implement.
Young students have the desire to always be correct the first time. Which is why thinking like an engineer may be challenging for them at the beginning. However, just because something is challenging does not mean that students should not try it. Students will feel empowered and successful when they develop a valid argument for why the solution that they come up with will be a sustainable one that will not cause further harm. Students have the ability to think like an engineer they just need to be given the tools and terminology to become successful. Students can also rely on using the engineering design process which is currently being used in STEM education in Massachusetts.
There is a cycle which engineers follow when they are trying to find a solution to a problem. The cycle is as follows: identify the problem, explore, design, create, test, improve. When initially giving your students a problem that they need to solve they might jump in right away and skip a lot of steps in the design process. It is important for them to learn about all the steps and learn why each step is critical to finding a lasting solution.
Step one is identifying the problem. Studies show that it is better to ask students a broad question rather than a narrow one. When students are asked a broader question, it gives every child regardless of ability the chance to answer it. However, if you ask a narrower question only certain students who have the proper knowledge to answer it will feel ready to. This leaves out an entire group of students who could potentially have the best solution. Engineering is inclusive; teaching STEM has been shown to increase vocabulary and language, technological knowledge, motor skills, graphing, visualization, improve social skills, and increase responsibility and personal growth. There are so many benefits to teaching STEM, especially using the engineering design process, so it does not make sense to leave out an entire group of students simply because the question that was asked was too narrow.
The next step is to explore solutions to the problem. This is where more than one idea is explored. Predictability, mitigation, and trial and error comes into play. The American Society of Civil Engineers states that “The ability to timely forecast accurate project outcomes is fundamental in an industry marked by endemic cost and schedule deviations”
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. During this stage, engineers brainstorm and research different ideas to see which ideas would be considerable solutions and which would not. If the solution is going to cause more harm or be too costly, the idea may be rejected. This relates heavily to mitigation. Mitigation is considering the level of risk before the next potential problem happens. Engineers do not want their solution to be a quick fix that will not last, they want it to have longevity and be helpful long term. Engineers research the problem in order to determine its root causes, and to look for possible solutions. The more they know about the problem, the more potential solutions they can come up with. This phase of the engineering design cycle is critical because it ensure that the engineers thoroughly understand what they are working with. This step is based in thorough research of the topic.
The next phase of the cycle is arguably the most exciting part for young students; design. This part of the cycle allows students to be creative and plan out how they would solve the problem. Students can draw and write down their ideas in order to express themselves. It is also important for them to work on more than one idea. Trial and error is another critical component to engineering, not every idea is going to be the best answer to the problem. Thinking this way can be challenging for young students who always want to be right the first time. However, more ideas are better than one. And this gives them more opportunities to design their ideas. Trial and error is defined as the process of experimenting with various methods of doing something until one finds the most successful. A strong example of trial and error is a quote from Thomas Edison when he was inventing the lightbulb. ““I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”
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Thomas Edison created many different prototypes before developing a working light bulb. Instead of giving up, he simply found out ways that would not bring his project success and he would begin a different approach. During this phase of the design process students can discuss their thoughts with one another, draw, and write them down. They are allowed to think as they please in a way which will solve a problem. Young children are natural problem solvers however, they are not always given the freedom to think this way. They should be encouraged to design their ideas fully, using details and evidence to why this solution would be a sustainable and cost-effective idea. This part of the process is important since it teaches children that they can plan for different things by drawing and using their words. It demonstrates that some problems need to be thought through fully. Drawing and writing can help them to deal with the complexity of the problem that they are trying to solve.
The following step in the process is to create the prototype. This is where students would see their ideas come to life. Obviously not every child’s idea is going to be used. However, it further propels the idea that the solution which is best in terms of cost, longevity, and sustainability is what would be implemented by actual environmental engineers. This also demonstrates how engineering can improve language, vocabulary, social skills, and personal growth. Students will have to look past the fact that they want their idea to best, if another one is in fact a better fit they will need to okay with it.
After creating the idea and seeing a prototype in real life it must be tested. Whatever the solution is, should be tested multiple times to ensure that everything is working as planned. Data should be taken to prove that the solution is working. The students can also oversee this aspect of the process as well. Keeping track of the data is another way to ensure that they are taking ownership of their design. This also shows students the importance of honesty and transparency when it comes to engineering and science. The National Society of Professional Engineers has stated that “As members of this profession, engineers are expected to exhibit the highest standards of honesty and integrity. Engineering has a direct and vital impact on the quality of life for all people. Accordingly, the services provided by engineers require honesty, impartiality, fairness, and equity, and must be dedicated to the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare”
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Since the welfare of the public is at stake, engineers must be honest and fair. If a solution is not turning out as expected, the engineers will not fake the data or lie to public. They note the problems that they are experiencing and move on to the next phase of the design process.
After the initial test, a redesign is required this is called the improve phase. The reason that this happens is so that students may fix any problems they found during the test phase. Sometimes a solution works just fine and only needs to be polished up before officially implementing it. Other times the whole solution may be redesigned. The data that is taken during the test phase helps to determine what changes, if any, need to be made. Students will need to analyze and interpret the data that they took in order to determine what should be done. They will have to use evidence to back up their reasoning and use their discussion skills to get their ideas across. Students should be well versed in their solution at this point, so their arguments should be valid and make sense.
Sometimes, the test and improve phase are repeated many times before the official solution is implemented. This is to ensure that data is accurate, the solution is cost effective as well as sustainable, and that it will help out the community for a long time.
This design process seems long and too much for young students to handle. However, elementary students have a natural curiosity and desire to solve problems. The design process is tailored to solving problems that have some complexity. This process is the perfect opportunity for them to explore these things in a constructive way. They will also be working on skills that are critical in language arts as well as mathematics to back up their ideas. This will make them stronger in all subjects as they move throughout their school and demonstrate practical usage of the skill they are learning.