Sponsor:

National Science Foundation

Research Team:

Scott J. Mason, Charlie Rossetti

Universities Involved:

University of Arkansas

Start Date:

07/15/06

End Date:

12/31/06

Summary:

This project presents ELL (English Language Learners) students in an IED (Introduction to Engineering Design) class with the manufacturing process through an integrated small group project.
At the University of Arkansas, the teacher will learn about engineering logistics and its applicability to mathematics and engineering curricula in the 6th through 12th grade environments. During this time, progressive project and class materials will be developed that creatively integrate interesting applications to logistics engineering. Furthermore, the teacher will make contributions to the research agenda of a current research project within CELDi that is of mutual interest to the teacher and the PI.

Potential research ideas are as follows:
? Springdale, Arkansas (and other local cities) has a need for better traffic flow. There is an opportunity to work with local administration to research some of the traffic flow problems and to incorporate both the problems and potential remedies into lessons for the Civil Engineering and Architecture class at Springdale High School.
? Springdale Engineering and Architecture Academy students work with robotics, PLCs, and handshaking between systems. There are opportunities to build classroom lessons and activities around warehousing, workflow in manufacturing, and distribution of materials or products within a warehouse and/or supply chain.
? Springdale Engineering and Architecture Academy students could be led to work up lesson plans and activities that they would take to local elementary, middle, and/or junior high schools to teach and engage younger students in engineering activities.
The students were challenged to learn a 3D modeling program, acquire a new and large set of vocabulary words and master the basics of a manufacturing process. Teaching all of this in the context of a project proved to be the most efficient means for my students to grasp the concepts of manufacturing and to see their immediate use in the project design, fabrication of parts and work flow of the assembly process.
The students discussed what they were doing and to communicate in English. This is very important for language acquisition.
TSTudents weres also involved in a “Students Teaching Students” activity with a group of ESL third grade students from Jones Elementary School. They were teaching the third grade students geometry, measuring and using both board and computer aided drafting as the medium for teaching these skills. As a final project with the third grade students the high school students helped them build a bird house. We set-up and cut out enough parts for 125 bird houses.