Project Lead The Way leads students into real life
It makes sense that the more schools link coursework to real life, the more likely students are to retain and use what they’ve learned in school.
So when we speak about reforming the education students receive at the high school level, we’re really speaking about two basic principles – relevance and rigor. Here at Sandy High School, we’re proud to announce new partnerships in the formation of Project Lead The Way, which promise to embrace both of those principles.
Sandy High has partnered with Oregon Institute of Technology and Project Lead The Way to prepare an increasing and more diverse science, technology, engineering and mathematics pipeline.
Bob Tisch and Ben Bliesner, two highly qualified teachers at Sandy High School, will team up to present the new Project Lead The Way curriculum. Ivan Vegary, a retired civil engineer, will assist with the program. He’s been an integral component of our engineering programs throughout the school year.
Project Lead The Way was created to address the projected shortage of engineers and engineering technologists in New York State, but now exists in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Project Lead The Way is pre-college engineering curriculum that offers eight full-year courses, called Pathway To Engineering, at the high school level.
The mission of the project is to create dynamic partnerships with our nation’s schools to produce an increasing and more diverse group of students to be successful in science, engineering and engineering technology at the two- and four-year college level.
The curriculum provides the knowledge and skills that enable students to design, build, and evaluate integrated technical systems.
Student benefits include the following:
• Opportunity to learn math, science and technology in a hands-on, relevant way;
• Involvement with projects with real-world applications of classroom concepts, which also teach how to communicate effectively, solve problems and work as a team;
• Opportunity to explore engineering and other technology-based careers before college;
• Exposure to the latest computer software and equipment used by industry, colleges and universities; and,
• The ability to receive college credit.
The strengths of this curriculum are best detailed from the data that has been collected:
• 90 percent of seniors surveyed indicated a confident sense of college majors and jobs they tend to pursue as a result of their PLTW studies.
• 95 percent of seniors said they were prepared for jobs emphasizing engineering, technology and computer science.
• 97 percent of the seniors plan on attending post secondary education, compared with 67 percent nationwide.
• 80 percent of seniors indicated their primary area of study in college will be engineering, technology or computer science.
Project Lead The Way centers on the idea of bringing practical application to students while their opinions about careers and interests are still forming. We know this approach is doubly important with math and science, subjects that too often translate into hours of memorizing facts and crunching numbers.
That’s why this curriculum has been so successful in interesting students in technology-related fields. It gives hands-on experience at applying math and science concepts to solving real-life problems.
Research shows that students introduced to engineering principles, concepts, and real-world problems in high school are better prepared for college engineering programs. Consequently, they are more likely to be successful.
By taking the highest level of college preparatory mathematics students are capable of successfully handling in all four years of high school, students will develop a solid background in math skills and concepts, will be prepared to take each level of the program, be prepared to succeed in the entry level mathematics course in college, avoid regression between high school and college by taking math each year of high school, and will have a solid background for engineering/technology.
Students are already working with their counselors to begin to program next fall. While admission to the program is noncompetitive, there are prerequisites.
Before the program begins next fall, the teachers involved must first be trained by Project Lead the Way staff. That’s planned this summer in California.
We’re excited about this new opportunity. Project Lead the Way will engage our students and bring Sandy High’s engineering technology curriculum into the 21st century. The problem-solving and analytical skills and processes that are central to program are applicable to any career field.
— Brian Heinze is principal of Sandy High School.
This curriculum: Foundation courses
• Introduction to Engineering Design: Teaches problem-solving skills using design development process. Models of product solutions are created, analyzed, and communicated using solid modeling software.
• Digital Electronics: Applied logic that encompasses application of electrical circuits and devices.
• Principles of Engineering: Survey course of field of engineering and engineering technology. Explores various technology systems and manufacturing process. Shows math-science-technology application in engineering problem solving.
Specialization Courses
• Aerospace Engineering: Hands-on engineering projects developed with NASA, students learn about aerodynamics, astronautics, space-life sciences and systems engineering (includes the study of intelligent vehicles such as the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity).
• Biotechnical Engineering: Projects taken from diverse fields of biotechnology, bioengineering, bio-medical engineering, and bio-molecular engineering which enable students to apply and concurrently develop secondary-level knowledge and skills in biology, physics, technology, and mathematics.
• Civil Engineering/Architecture: Fields of civil engineering and architecture while emphasizing interrelationship and dependence of both fields on each other. Roles of civil engineers and architects, Project planning, site planning, building design, project documentation and presentation.
• Computer Integrated Manufacturing: Applies principles of robotics and automation. Builds on solid modeling from IED. Use of CNC equipment to produce models. Fundamental concepts of robotics used in automated manufacturing and design analysis.
Capstone Course
Engineering Design and Development: A course in creativity and innovation. Research course in which students, working in teams, research design and construct solutions to open-ended engineering problems. Apply principles developed in the four preceding courses. Students present progress reports, submit a final written report and defend their solutions to a panel of outside reviewers at the end of the school year.