Sustainable Design Challenge, Engineering for Middle School
March 18 - May 3, 2024
Grades:
Grades 6 - 8
Price:
FREE
Skills Learned:
● Problem Solving and Cooperative Learning
● Defining and Designing Problems
● Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
● Developing and Using Models
Classtimes:
Classtimes will be coordinated between the Lead Teacher and Teacher Fellow
Session Length:
March 18 - May 3, 2024
Number of Sessions:
2 of 2
This course will be part of an ongoing research study by AIR, in collaboration with CWW, the CERES Institute for Children & Youth at Boston University, and the Rennie Center. The study aims to understand teacher and student experiences in the CWW initiative, including factors influencing effective implementation, and outcomes.
Course Program:
Students will use the steps of the engineering design process to identify a real-world problem that
is relevant to them. Exploring topics like environment, transportation, food security, affordable
housing, parks & recreation, etc. students will work in groups to research the problem and
engineer a solution to include a model or paper prototype of their solution. The lessons follow a
series of steps in the design process where students will research the problem and develop a
problem statement identifying design criteria and constraints, develop possible solutions and a
decision matrix to choose the best one, create a sketch or plan, build and test their prototype or
model, evaluate their solution to include the rules of critique and re-design.
About
Raushanah Muhammad
Raushanah began her teaching career in 2015 after working for over 14
years as an civil-environmental project engineer. Since changing careers, Raushanah has worked as a STEM specialist within the Boston Public Schools and uses an integrated approach to teaching science, engineering
design, physics, coding, digital and financial literacy in grades 6-8.
Additionally, she has worked in education settings within the Department of Youth Services, where she integrated math, HiSET test prep, and career
readiness skills. In addition to her classroom teaching, she continues her volunteer work in community outreach and public service, tutoring math, curating STEM enrichment, summer programs and camps.