The 2022 TEEAP-STEM Back to Basics conference was hosted by AEST on October 20-22, 2022. On Friday a luncheon was held at the Student Memorial Center where the following program and individual awards were presented:
The Program Excellence Award is presented by the International Technology & Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) and the Technology & Engineering Education Association of Pennsylvania (TEEAP). This Excellence Award is of the highest honors given to Technology and Engineering Education programs on the elementary, middle, and high school level. It is presented in recognition of outstanding contributions to the profession. The Program Excellence Award provides public recognition on a local state level through TEEAP. If the recipient meets the criteria to be forwarded to ITEEA, these programs also receive recognition on a national and international level.
The Teacher Excellence Award is one of the highest honors given to Technology and Engineering Education classroom teachers and is presented in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the profession and their students. The Teacher Excellence Award provides public recognition on a local state level through Technology & Engineering Education Association of Pennsylvania (TEEAP) and is presented at the Annual TEEAP Conference. In addition, if the recipient meets the criteria to be forwarded to International Technology & Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA), these teachers also receive recognition on an national and international level. The honoree is then also formally presented with an engraved plaque and other recognition at ITEEA’s Annual Conference.
2022 High School Program of Excellence Award
The Line Mountain High School offers a broad set of technology education courses for students to choose from as electives. Students have the opportunity to take up to 10 technology education courses in Metalworking, Woodworking, Drafting, Engineering, Architecture, Product Design, and Robotics prior to graduation. In addition to the courses offered, the high school offers open lab hours each Tuesday and Wednesday from 2:30 to 5:30pm. There are a number of students who come in each evening to catch up on assigned projects or work on individual projects.
The distinguished teachers and rigorous curriculum at Line Mountain High School provide a comprehensive education to students, preparing them for a variety of options after high school including four and two year colleges, technical schools, and work. As the national momentum towards STEM Education and STEM Occupations continue, the department continues to revise the curriculum and offer the most beneficial learning opportunities to all students. The primary goal of the Line Mountain Technology Education program in grades 6—12 is to develop technological literacy in all students and prepare them to succeed in the 21st Century.
2022 Middle School Program of Excellence Award
Mountain View Middle School has about 1400 students enrolled 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. In the 6th grade Materials and Production class students learn machine safety/use, measurement, and utilize the engineering design process to innovate an object. Students make a mini clipboard, complete the Great Goldfish Challenge, and create keychains.
In the 7th grade PLTW Design and Modeling class students learn how to navigate the design process by starting with an instant design challenge. Then moving into 3D drawing, designing and printing.
In the 8th grade Materials and Production class students cover machine safety/use, transportation, and architecture. Students create a candy dispenser, a geared car, and a 3D house out of a material they chose. The 8th grade PLTW Automation and Robotics course, students learn how gears work together to create movement by designing multiple outputs on one device through one input. Following the building, they learn basic block programming. Advanced students learn how to program Vex V5 brains which control robot movement.
The Technology and Engineering classes at Mountain View help to solidify universal skills. Though the courses and activities students’ build problem-solving skills, practice critical thinking, student preparedness and students independence.
2022 High School Teacher Excellence Award
Brian describes his classes as the following: “I traditionally consider my classes a controlled chaos. In a typical Wood Tech class, there will be 18 different projects going on at 1 time. In Wood Tech these projects include anything from scroll saw projects to pieces of furniture. Students are charged with working with the teacher and problem solving in order to follow through on the steps needed to complete a project. Most importantly these projects establish student ownership into our Downingtown West Wood Tech program.
In publications, our students drive the direction of the course. Each year, a theme for the Yearbook is selected by our editors. Our publications students work to weave the theme with the traditional content in order to create a unique yearbook. While layout, design, photography, caption writing, and news writing can all be covered in traditional lessons, the actual development of yearbook pages requires a lot of individual work with each student.
One of the biggest accomplishments for Brian has been to expand the Wood offerings at Downingtown West. He stated “For years, our Wood Tech program was turning 100 plus students away from our program because we did not physically have the room to hold those students. Our Wood Tech program was running at maximum capacity. After about 5 years of consistently turning students away, I was able to work with my principal and curriculum leader to develop a plan and a budget to expand to a second shop.
Five school years ago, we successfully opened a second shop in our building and in three years time we managed to expand from 8 sections of Wood Tech offerings to 15 sections. In this time, we watched the number of students pursuing a trade, trade school, or associated field essential double.
2022 Middle School Teacher Excellence Award
Thomas describes his classroom as the following: I teach all of the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students throughout the building in a single calendar year (in seven, 26-day rotations). In 6th grade, my students explore the topic of Additive Manufacturing, where they learn how the process of 3D Modeling and 3D Printing by creating their own custom keychain. The second unit I cover in 6th grade encompasses Technology Resources, basic machine/tool safety, and an introduction to manufacturing. In this unit, each student applies their knowledge by building a small scoop.
In 7th grade, my students learn about Simple Machines, The Engineering Design Process, and basic principles of physics. In this unit, students learn about and utilize The Engineering Design Process to construct a catapult prototype. My students follow each step of the process from researching, sketching, and 3D modeling their ideas on TinkerCAD to finally building and testing their designs. At the conclusion of the unit, I have a face to face “interview” with my students where we discuss their journey through the Design Process and what prototype/findings that they came up with.
In 8th grade, my students learn about the manufacturing process at a more in-depth level, along with the manufacturing assembly line and its importance. In this unit, my students create a set of wind chimes using woodworking and metalworking skills/techniques. The second unit covered in my 8th grade curriculum is architectural design. Students are given the opportunity to design a floor plan of their “dream house”. Each student develops a sketch and rough layout of their proposed floor plan, before developing a more refined version on their computer using a website called Floor Planner.