A group of adults, dressed in authentic medieval costumes, organize and stage a full-scale battle at a local park; weapons (made from foam), roles, and medieval speech are all part of the event. This is known as "Live Action Role Play" -- more commonly referred to as "LARP." Although many settings and scenarios have been used…

The importance of design and technology (D&T) education has been advocated by numerous researchers over the last three decades. For instance, Nigel Cross suggests that in design education, there are ill-defined problems and "designerly ways of knowing" (2006). Today D&T in school education is employed globally and the common…

The International Technology and Engineering Educators Association's (ITEEA's) "Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy" ("STEL") describes design thinking as an approach that allows students and educators to integrate other content areas by considering relevant contextual information to guide design and making…

Both those inside and outside of the education community are becoming increasingly familiar with the STEM acronym and the extensive efforts underway nationally to develop integrated PK-12 STEM programs that promote critical thinking, problem solving, 21st Century skill development and authentic learning experiences (Ingram, 2019). However, for…

Creating a community rather than an institution is a goal that all educators should strive to meet. To do this, school districts try to unify their student bodies by bringing attention to an obstacle too many children face--bullying. In the Technology and Education (TE) classroom, topics involving bullying can be difficult to include in everyday…

This is the nineteenth in a series of articles entitled "The Legacy Project." The Legacy Project focuses on the lives and actions of leaders who have forged the technology and engineering teaching profession into what it is today. Members of the profession owe a debt of gratitude to these leaders. One simple way to demonstrate that…

This article describes a lesson in which students will utilize ideation and engineering design to innovate a solution to a design problem using common household products.

Within the past few years there has been an increasing emphasis on making computer science (CS) more accessible for all K-12 students. In 2013 there were 12 states that allowed CS courses to count towards high school graduation, and in 2018 that number had grown to 35 states plus the District of Columbia (Code.org, 2018). Due to the increasing…

Technology and Engineering (T&E) education has traditionally included safety as a core component of its curriculum and instruction. Recommendations for safety instruction can be found in manual arts and industrial arts documents (Christy, 1938). Safety was emphasized across all grade levels, including the elementary grades (Miller & Boyd,…

Recent education initiatives have created a spotlight for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs within schools with an eye to not only improve students' overall performance in mathematics and science, but also increase the pipeline of students pursuing STEM-focused careers. While current STEM initiatives focus on all…

Design and technology (D&T) is taught in most primary (5-11 year old children) and secondary schools (11-16 year olds) in England. Seen by some as a relatively new subject (White, 2011), some of its origins lie in craft tradition and domestic skills. This is partly reflected in classroom activities where children design and make, usually in…

In this article, the authors outline an innovation curriculum that can be taught to elementary-aged students to expand their creative and innovative abilities and potential. The curriculum focuses on divergent and convergent thinking principles embedded in a hands-on learning pedagogy. The curriculum framework is based on an innovation model known…

Computational thinking is an important and necessary way of thinking for computer programmers and other professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Research on emerging practices around computational thinking that is developed through coding initiatives in schools reports that elementary children typically learn how…

Research has shown that once a potential solution to a problem has settled into one's mind, it can be difficult to break from the original idea and move in a different direction (Cardoso & BadkeSchaub, 2009; Jansson & Smith, 1991). When designers are given examples (whether as models, photographs, sketches, or drawings), they often fixate…

In this article the authors describe an Integrative Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Design-Based Learning (I-STEM ED DBL) activity that invites students to delve into the science, technology, and engineering related to the production of Ötzi's copper axe and to speculate about the circumstances surrounding his…