Going live on new resources!
You always get a slightly odd feeling when you hit ‘go live’ on a new set of campaign resources. It’s a bit like a piece of exam coursework that you’re putting in for marking – and you’re wondering what will happen when other people read it!
Engineering Educates: Robotics Challenge has launched! A new 2-year campaign for teachers to inspire 7-14 year olds into thinking and working as an engineer.
The benefits for teachers are the way in which the campaign ticks the boxes on:
applying and invigorating Design & Technology, Computing, Literacy and Science
giving learners hands-on learning
connects to real-world contexts making curriculum-learning more meaningful
freeing teachers from excess workload.
The team massively valued the opportunity to work with the NFU on the Engineering Educates: Farmvention Challenge for the past two years. It informed us about what works, and how the campaign is applied within schools to support learner and teacher development in STEM.
Don’t forget that all those resources are still freely available in the Eng Ed Archive!
The journey into the world of robotics engineering came as leading academics in the RAS Network sought to refine the way they worked to raise awareness of their professional discipline. They welcomed the Engineering Educates Challenge team in, since which time, we have realised the potential to tackle stereotypes about robots (what they do and where we use them), and engineers working in the sector. This truly is a fascinating space to be in.
The 8 Engineering Educates Robotics Challenges, that will be released across a 2-year period provide:
activity notes and Challenge resources for 7-11 year olds and 11-14 year olds
a Toolkit of resources to support the engineering process that can be used within and beyond the campaign
Careers Chats to inspire learners about the diverse range of roles and professionals in the sector
regular professional development for teachers
recognition and reward
So what now?
Teachers, educators in different settings, University outreach groups, and community groups can register at www.engineeringeducates.org at no cost.
Download the 2 Ready, Set, Robotics Introductory Sessions and the first 2 challenges. You can do these at any time, in any order, and you have the freedom to tailor the resources to your learners’ needs and interests.
If you want interaction with other schools involved, or with the team, that all can come through the webinars, bookable here: https://www.engineeringeducates.org/teacher-support We can’t wait to see you there.
Before I sign off, I must thank the team, and the extended team at SSERC in Scotland, as well as the RAS Network engineers, who have travelled with us over the past few months to bring the brand new Engineering Educates: Robotics Challenge straight to you!
Professor Lynne Bianchi, SEERIH Director, and founder of Engineering Educates
Sign up to access resources and information: www.engineeringeducates.org