Parramatta Marist High School is a school in Western Sydney, New South Wales, that has over 14 years of experience in project-based learning in Stages 4 and 5 (Years 7-10). Over this period, projects have been constantly developed, redeveloped and improved by teachers based on their experience and feedback from their colleagues and their students.…

Science becomes engaging when students know that what they learn in the classroom relates to their own lives and communities. This article describes a project in which students use field exploration and online software to design virtual solutions to improve the hydrology of their school yard. The project is called Teaching Environmental…

Most technology and engineering (T&E) classes are elective, so teachers are always looking for ways to market programs, engage students, and remind administrators and school board members about the good things T&E teachers do with and for kids. In this article, the Unionville High School (PA) Technology and Engineering Department describes…

This research project examined the impact on student engagement of a makerspace approach in an all-First Nations high school. First Nations learners have many factors limiting their success in the K-12 system such as lack of connection to the curriculum, limited cultural relevance of course content, and poor attendance. A common concern for those…

There is a battlefield where no quarter is given, no mercy shown, but not a single drop of blood is spilled. It is an arena that witnesses the bringing together of high-tech design and manufacture with the outpouring of brute force, under the remotely accessed command of some of today's brightest students. This is the world of battling robots, or…

In this paper a novel outreach approach to high school students to familiarize them with engineering functions and methods is explained. In this approach students participated in a seven days research camp and learned many engineering skills and tools such as CAD solid modeling, finite element analysis, rapid prototyping, mechanical tests, team…

Teachers find themselves continually challenged to develop curricula, activities and strategies that satisfy evolving federal, state and district standards. The introduction of high-stakes testing and constantly changing reforms have brought about a significant shift in their responsibilities. With so much governmental focus on standards, teachers…