If you teach EiE, you can probably recite the five steps of the EiE Engineering Design Process (EDP) from memory: ASK – IMAGINE – PLAN – CREATE – IMPROVE!

In our professional development workshops, however, we notice that educators who are new to classroom engineering sometimes can’t picture what these steps will look like when their students actually DO them. That’s one reason we created EiE Video Snippets. These super-short videos (most are about a minute long) show you, quickly and easily, how young children work through the five EDP steps. 

Maybe you’re teaching EiE for the first time this semester. Or maybe you already use the curriculum in your elementary classroom but want to brush up on your knowledge. Either way, EiE Spotlight Videos are a great way to refresh and expand your understanding of the EiE curriculum.

Watch this Spotlight Video, “The Engineering Design Process in Action,” to learn about the age-appropriate, five-step Engineering Design Process that’s at the heart of every curriculum unit.

From all of us here at EiE, HAPPY NEW YEAR!  We're excited to take this chance to thank you for all your support and feedback this year, and to say how grateful we are for the chance to work with you and grow with you.

The EiE website underwent a major redesign in 2014 . . .  and educators noticed! This past June the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) named eie.org a 2015 “Best Website for Teaching & Learning.” As part of the award, AASL sponsors a series of webinars so you can learn more about each site. Registration for the EiE webinar is now open.

The hour-long session is scheduled for Weds. February 3^rd, 2016 at 5 PM Eastern. It’s free and open to the public, but only the first 100 registrants are guaranteed a spot. So if you’re interested, register today!  

EiE’s out-of-school time (OST) curriculum Engineering Everywhere (EE) has two new units that are sure to intrigue and engage middle schoolers in your program. Both units feature cutting-edge topics that track the newest developments in engineering fields:

• Growing Up: Engineering Vertical Farms
• Go Fish: Engineering Prosthetic Tails

OST programs can be the key to holding middle schoolers’ interest in STEM. According to the Afterschool Alliance, the middle school years are a “make-or-break” time for many youth, when students either get excited about learning . . . or get totally turned off, especially about STEM subjects.

When the school day's over, when the pressure’s off, when the activities are hands-on and connected to real-life experiences (as they are in these new units), middle schoolers are more likely to get hooked on the excitement and pleasures of science and engineering.