Teaching Engineering & Design

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Why it works

Engineering and design education, now part of science standards (the NGSS include engineering design), engages students in a structured yet creative process, defining problems, developing and testing solutions, and iterating to improve, that applies science and math to real-world challenges and builds problem-solving, creativity, and persistence. Research supports engineering design as accessible and valuable across K-12, developing both content understanding and transferable skills, with productive failure and iteration central.

The research: NGSS engineering design; research on K-12 engineering education.

The run-of-show

Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.

The core activity: run an engineering design challenge

Teachers leave with a design challenge that runs the full process with iteration.

Pick a real problem students could solve.
Plan the design process (define and constrain, design, build, test, improve).
Apply relevant science and math.
Make iteration and productive failure central, not a one-shot build.

Define, design, test, improveThe engineering design process is a powerful, accessible way to solve problems. Run a real design challenge with iteration, applying science and math.

Facilitator notes

Use the full design process, and apply science and math.
Center iteration and productive failure.
It works at every level.

A one-shot build is not engineeringBuilding once with no testing or iteration misses the heart of engineering. Define, design, test, and improve, with productive failure.

Adapt it

Elementary: simple design challenges, iteration.
Secondary: engineering design, constraints, applying science and math.
All settings: define, design, test, improve.

Participant handout

One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.

K12 Academics · Professional Learning

Engineering & Design: define, design, test, improve

Powerful problem-solving: the full design process with iteration, applying science and math to a real challenge.

The real problem students could solve:
The design process steps I will use:
The science and math applied:
How I center iteration and productive failure:
Where a one-shot build needs to become iterative:

Make it stick

The full design cycle:

Run the full design process.
Center iteration.
Bring an engineering challenge to the next PLC.

Common questions

Isn't engineering only for high school or future engineers?

No. The engineering design process, define, design, test, improve, works from elementary up, builds problem-solving for all students, and is part of modern science standards.

What is the engineering design process?

A cyclical approach: define the problem and constraints, brainstorm and design solutions, build and test, then improve based on results. Iteration and productive failure are central.

How is it different from a science experiment?

Science investigates how the world works; engineering designs solutions to problems. Both matter; engineering applies the science to build and improve things.