Momentum - The Magazine for Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering Vol. 2 No. 1 | Page 6

STORY AND PHOTOS BY ROSAIRE BUSHEY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Pre-service teachers in Science Education prepare for classroom with 3D printers

On Feb . 20 , the last of 56 in-service and pre-service teachers received a 3D printer as part of a 3-year $ 449,421 National Science Foundation Research Experience for Teachers grant headed by Associate Professors Christopher Williams of Mechanical Engineering , and Brenda Brand , Science Education .
The final cohort was made up of pre-service students who are attending the master ’ s in education program at Virginia Tech after earning a degree from the College of Science . The students will graduate this spring and take up positions primarily with middle and high schools , armed with research-based science training and now , a 3D printer to help them develop engaging curriculum for students .
“ The idea behind our proposal was to be able to bring in-service teachers and pre-service teachers together and provide them with an academic research experience , and show them what is possible through advanced manufacturing ,” said Williams , director of the Design , Research and Education of Additive Manufacturing Systems Lab . “ Many students think of manufacturing in late 19th and early 20th century terms , but modern manufacturing offers far more high tech opportunities and possibilities , and we wanted to give them a glimpse of that by providing 3D printers for their classrooms . The printers also provide broader benefits for STEM curriculum development ; teachers can use them as context for teaching fundamental math and science , and to fabricate parts for in-class design challenges .”
Pre-service students are provided the printers as part of a workshop that orients them to 3D printing and strategies for developing instruction to engage students in developing solutions to open-ended problems integrated with technologies such as 3D printing .
“ This final group is the first made up entirely of pre-service teachers ,” Brand said . “ The in-service teachers who have participated have shared stories of developing new curriculum integrating the 3D printers . Some of them have gone on to present at workshops and conferences .”
The printers expose students to manufacturing and allow teachers to introduce engineering design into their curriculums .
“ The recently released ' Next Generation Science Standards ' emphasizes the integration of engineering design in science instruction ,” Brand said . “ It requires students to apply what they ’ re learning , and our goal is to prepare more students for STEM careers , as well as acquaint them with the potential opportunities for manufacturing .”
Williams and Brand agreed the testament to the success of their program are the teachers who write back with the results of what they ’ ve been doing saying their teaching has changed tremendously .
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