how will i know if engineering is right for me

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How will I know if engineering is right for me? Through resources on this webpage and other questions within this series, you can learn more about what engineers do to help you better answer this question for yourself. Understanding what an engineer is and what the profession is about is the first step in answering the question, ―Is it right for me?‖ If you have not done so, take the time to explore those resources to get a fundamental understanding of the engineering profession. With that understanding you can now conduct a self-assessment to see how well you align with being an engineer. Just to be clear, this is not an aptitude or vocational test. It’s about trying to understand the things you like to do in life. What is intellectually stimulating to you? What is your perspective on the world? And what are your aptitude and skill sets? So take some time and think about the following questions. In terms of ―Things you like to do‖ ask yourself these questions: Do you like to solve problems? Do you like math and science? Do you like to think of new ways to do things? Do you like puzzles and other mind challenging games? Do you like working with computers? Do you enjoy a challenge? In terms of ―Your perspective on the world‖ ask yourself these questions: Do you want to make a difference in the world? Do you have an interest in the challenges facing our world? Do you want to help people and improve their lives? Do you wonder how things work? If you answered in the affirmative to several or more of these questions, the engineering profession might be worth exploring further, because engineers solve problems and challenges that improve the lives of people and make a difference in the world. With your ―interests‖ and ―perspectives‖ aligned to the engineering profession, the final part of the assessment is to ask yourself if you have the aptitude and skills to first become an engineer and then succeed in the profession. Through your review of other resources you learned that engineers apply the principles of science and math to solve problems. The study of engineering involves completing a rigorous and intensive program that includes mathematics, the sciences and highly technical courses related to the engineering discipline that is being studied. The work is challenging, but very doable. With hard work and commitment you can make it. But you should ask yourself several questions to ensure that an engineering program is worth exploring further: Do you have an aptitude for math and science? (This is more than liking these subjects. You will not need to display the skill levels of a mathematician or scientist, but you will need to demonstrate a competence and that you are comfortable applying this knowledge.) When confronted with a problem, do you see things visually or in 3D?

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Page 1: How Will I Know if Engineering is Right for Me

How will I know if engineering is right for me?

Through resources on this webpage and other questions within this series, you can learn more about what engineers do to help you better answer this question for yourself. Understanding what an engineer is and what the profession is about is the first step in answering the question, ―Is it right for me?‖ If you have not done so, take the time to explore those resources to get a fundamental understanding of the engineering profession. With that understanding you can now conduct a self-assessment to see how well you align with being an engineer. Just to be clear, this is not an aptitude or vocational test. It’s about trying to understand the

things you like to do in life. What is intellectually stimulating to you? What is your perspective on the world? And what are your aptitude and skill sets? So take some time and think about the following questions. In terms of ―Things you like to do‖ ask yourself these questions:

Do you like to solve problems?

Do you like math and science?

Do you like to think of new ways to do things?

Do you like puzzles and other mind challenging games?

Do you like working with computers?

Do you enjoy a challenge?

In terms of ―Your perspective on the world‖ ask yourself these questions:

Do you want to make a difference in the world?

Do you have an interest in the challenges facing our world?

Do you want to help people and improve their lives?

Do you wonder how things work?

If you answered in the affirmative to several or more of these questions, the engineering profession might be worth exploring further, because engineers solve problems and challenges that improve the lives of people and make a difference in the world. With your ―interests‖ and ―perspectives‖ aligned to the engineering profession, the final part of the assessment is to ask yourself if you have the aptitude and skills to first become an engineer and then succeed in the profession. Through your review of other resources you learned that engineers apply the principles of science and math

to solve problems. The study of engineering involves completing a rigorous and intensive program that includes mathematics, the sciences and highly technical courses related to the engineering discipline that is being studied. The work is challenging, but very doable. With hard work and commitment you can make it. But you should ask yourself several questions to ensure that an engineering program is worth exploring further:

Do you have an aptitude for math and science? (This is more than liking these subjects. You will not

need to display the skill levels of a mathematician or scientist, but you will need to demonstrate a competence and that you are comfortable applying this knowledge.)

When confronted with a problem, do you see things visually or in 3D?

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Do you like to work with other people or in teams?

Do you like to be creative?

Before making any final decisions, the best way to find out more about what it’s like to be an engineer and if it’s the right profession for you is to reach out and communicate with an engineer. Start with your immediate family or your friends’ families to identify an engineer to contact. If there are no engineers in

your immediate network, another source is to contact the faculty at a local university/college that has an engineering program. They would be glad to answer your questions and provide you with more information. Finally, reach out to the engineering professional societies. They can place you into contact with engineers who would be happy to share their knowledge and perspective. (To view profiles of engineers in different specialties go to:http://www.tryengineering.org/life.php) In taking the time to understand what engineers do and in conducting these self-assessments you can learn more about the profession and make the determination if you want to be part of solving the challenges of tomorrow and making the world a better place. Engineering is a challenging and incredibly rewarding profession and we encourage you to explore the possibilities.

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What can I do with an engineering degree?

Anything you want. An engineering degree can provide you with access to any field, any profession, any industry or any career you might be interested in pursuing. To begin, getting an engineering degree qualifies you to work as an engineer. And the great thing about the engineering profession is that the opportunities are limitless. There are many fields you can choose from including, electrical, mechanical, industrial, safety, chemical, aerospace, petroleum, biomedical, ocean and mining just to name a few. There are many more.

From these fields you can choose from many different types of engineering functions that include design, analysis, test, production, operations and sales. Every industry you can list today, and just a few are: transportation, energy, entertainment, medicine, consumer products, agriculture, telecommunications,

computer, power, shipping and food processing need engineers as part of their everyday business and operations. So your options with an engineering degree in the engineering profession depend on what you want to do and your own interests.

But it doesn’t stop there. Getting an engineering degree can open the door to other professions as well. The process of becoming an engineer involves learning how to understand a problem, devise solutions and then being able to implement them. Engineering students learn how to apply their knowledge to become problem solvers. This type of thinking process is critical to today’s business world and almost every profession. Many engineering graduates today are pursuing careers in law, medicine and business. In a report published

several years ago of the S & P 500 companies, 20% of the CEOs had engineering undergraduate degrees, about equal to those with business degrees.

In a world increasingly connected to technology, having a background and understanding in engineering, and a thinking process geared toward developing solutions will enable an engineering graduate to chart his or her own path. Whether it’s in engineering, or law, or medicine or business, the engineering graduate has the advantage.

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Electrical Engineering

Electrical engineers have made remarkable contributions to our world. Electrical Engineers helped invent the computer, DSL, cellular phones, microchips, and solar panels - to name just a few! DVD players, cellular phones, radio, television, computers, airplanes, space vehicles, cars, motorcycles, home appliances, life-saving medical equipment, computer games, and Martian battles fought with joysticks represent a mere

sampling of the now familiar facets of life made possible with the input of electrical engineers. There are ten key industry sectors that employ electrical engineers, computer engineers and computer scientists:

Aerospace

Bioengineering

Computers

Education and Research

Energy and Electric Power

Manufacturing

Semiconductors

Services and Other Professions

Telecommunications

Transportation and Automotive

More detailed information about Electrical Engineering is available on the Career Cornerstone Center's Electrical Engineering site. Another approach to understanding the field of electrical engineering is to examine the technical interests of the Technical Societies and Councils that encompass the technical activities of the IEEE.

What Electrical Engineering Students Study at the University Level: Core courses taken by all EE students include such topics as circuits, electronics, digital design, and microprocessors. Laboratory courses play an important role in reinforcing the concepts learned in the lecture courses. The core curriculum builds on a foundation of basic courses in calculus, physics, chemistry, and the humanities. Additional courses draw heavily from other disciplines such as computer science, mechanical engineering, materials science, manufacturing, management, and finance. Many Engineering students also

participate in co-op programs. Co-op students alternate terms of work experience in different industries with terms of coursework.

Career Guidance Suggestions for Pre-University Students: Pre-University students should take as many math and science courses as possible, both during school and as part of after-school programs. Students aged 5-9 should do additional math, puzzles, and code exploration projects. Students aged 9-12 should take extra math, and if inspired, explore pre-algebra and

geometry. Students aged 12-18 might consider taking advanced algebra, chemistry, calculus, geometry, trigonometry, physics, electronics, and engineering concept courses. There are also several lessons and activities, and projects and competitions that can help provide students with an interest in engineering first hand exposure to electrical engineering principals. Students who implement these activities and participate in projects or competitions have a better understanding of engineering and its impact on society. They'll be better able to determine if engineering is the career path for them by sharing their interest with other students, and experiencing hands-on applications of engineering. Summer programs and internships are another great way for students at the pre-university level to explore engineering.

Brochures and Other Materials:

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The Electrical Engineering Field Overview (PDF), prepared by the Career Cornerstone Center provides a

complete look at the field of Electrical Engineering, and may be reproduced for students or made available at career centers.

The What is an Electrical Engineer? Brochure (PDF) provides additional information about Electrical Engineering including an overview of the field, profiles of Electrical Engineers, career options and

preparation tips.

IEEE Spectrum Online

IEEE Global History Network

An historical overview of electrical engineering was prepared by the IEEE History Center, Rutgers

University.

Edison Innovation Foundation website

Edison Muckers blog

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ollowing are a few Thomas Edison quotes to inspire and motivate. Edison is well known for his many

inventions, but he is also well known for his hard work ethic and perseverance. Even after many failed

attempts with his light bulb design, Edison continued on knowing each failure brought him closer to

success. We hope these Thomas Edison quotes give you the motivation to persevere too.

“Personally, I enjoy working about 18 hours a day. Besides the short catnaps I take each day, I

average about four to five hours of sleep per night. “

“Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or

accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning,

intelligence and honest purpose, as well as perspiration.”

“Anything that won’t sell, I don’t want to invent. Its sale is proof of utility, and utility is success.”

“A genius is often merely a talented person who has done all of his or her homework.”

“When I have finally decided that a result is worth getting, I go ahead on it and make trial after trial

until it comes.”

“I find out what the world needs. Then I go ahead and try to invent it.”

“My main purpose in life is to make enough money to create ever more inventions…. The dove is

my emblem…. I want to save and advance human life, not destroy it…. I am proud of the fact that I

have never invented weapons to kill….”

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

“Unfortunately, there seems to be far more opportunity out there than ability…. We should

remember that good fortune often happens when opportunity meets with preparation.”

“I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to

wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that. I wish I had more years left.”

“I believe that the science of chemistry alone almost proves the existence of an intelligent

creator.”

“If we all did the things we are really capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves….”

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”

“I never did a day’s work in my life, it was all fun.”

“Hell, there are no rules here – we’re trying to accomplish something.”

“One might think that the money value of an invention constitutes its reward to the man who loves

his work. But speaking for myself, I can honestly say this is not so…I continue to find my greatest

pleasure, and so my reward, in the work that precedes what the world calls success.”

“I have more respect for the fellow with a single idea who gets there than for the fellow with a

thousand ideas who does nothing.”

“I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the

world.”

“Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.”

“The man who doesn’t make up his mind to cultivate the habit of thinking misses the greatest

pleasure in life.”

“The world owes nothing to any man, but every man owes something to the world.”

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“A man’s best friend is a good wife.”

“It’s obvious that we don’t know one millionth of one percent about anything.”

“Fools call wise men fools. A wise man never calls any man a fool.”

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TRIZ - What Is TRIZ? By Katie Barry, Ellen Domb and Michael S. Slocum

Projects of all kinds frequently reach a point where all the analysis is done, and the next step is unclear. The project team must be creative, to figure out what to do. Common creativity tools have been limited to brainstorming and related methods, which depend on intuition, fiat and the knowledge of the members of the team. These methods are typically described as psychologically based and having unpredictable and unrepeatable results.

TRIZ is a problem solving method based on logic and data, not intuition, which accelerates the project team's ability to solve these problems creatively. TRIZ also provides repeatability, predictability, and reliability due to its structure and algorithmic approach. "TRIZ" is the (Russian) acronym for the "Theory of Inventive Problem Solving." G.S. Altshuller and his colleagues in the former U.S.S.R. developed the method between 1946 and 1985. TRIZ is an international science of creativity that relies on the study of the patterns of problems and solutions, not on the spontaneous and intuitive creativity of individuals or groups. More than three million patents have been analyzed to discover the patterns that predict breakthrough solutions to problems.

TRIZ is spreading into corporate use across several parallel paths – it is increasingly common in Six Sigma processes, in project management and risk management systems, and in organizational innovation initiatives.

TRIZ research began with the hypothesis that there are universal principles of creativity that are the basis for creative innovations that advance technology. If these principles could be identified and codified, they could be taught to people to make the process of creativity more predictable. The short version of this is:

Somebody someplace has already solved this problem (or one very similar to it.) Creativity is now finding that solution and adapting it to this particular problem.

The research has proceeded in several stages during the last sixty years. The three primary findings of this research are as follows:

1. Problems and solutions are repeated across industries and sciences. The classification of the contradictions in each problem predicts the creative solutions to that problem.

2. Patterns of technical evolution are repeated across industries and sciences. 3. Creative innovations use scientific effects outside the field where they were developed.

Much of the practice of TRIZ consists of learning these repeating patterns of problems-solutions, patterns of technical evolution and methods of using scientific effects, and then applying the general TRIZ patterns to the specific situation that confronts the developer. Exhibit 1 describes this process graphically.

Exhibit 1: The TRIZ Problem

Solving Method

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In Exhibit 1, the arrows represent transformation from one formulation of the problem or solution to another. The solid arrows represent analysis of the problems and analytic use of the TRIZ databases. The striped arrow represents thinking by analogy to develop the specific solution. This four-step problem solving approach forces the user to overcome inherent psychological bias that is typically the foundation of psychological ideation techniques.

For example, a powerful demonstration of this method comes from the pharmaceutical industry. Following the flow of Exhibit 1, the specific problem is as follows: Tailored bacteria are used to cultivate human hormones, producing a superior product to those refined from animal sources. To produce the product, very large quantities of tailored bacteria cells are cultured, the cells must be broken open and the cell wall material removed so that the useful hormones can be processed. A mechanical method for breaking the cells had been in use at a moderate scale for some time, but the yield was 80 percent, and was variable. A current crisis was a reduction in yield to 65 percent, and a long-term problem was anticipated in trying to scale production up to high rates, with yield much better than 80 percent.

The TRIZ general problem at the highest level is to find a way to produce the product with no waste, at 100 percent yield, with no added complexity. A TRIZ general solution formula is "The problem should solve itself." One of the patterns of evolution of technology is that energy (fields) replaces objects (mechanical devices). For example, consider using a laser instead of a scalpel for eye surgery. In this case, ultrasound can be used to break the cell walls or using an enzyme to "eat" the cell wall (chemical energy) instead of hitting them. This may seem very general, but it led the pharmaceutical researchers to analyze all the resources available in the problem (the cells, the cell walls, the fluid they are in, the motion of the fluid, the processing facility, etc.) and to conclude that three specific solutions had high potential for their problem:

1. The cell walls should be broken by sound waves (from the pattern of evolution of replacing mechanical means by fields).

2. The cell walls should be broken by shearing, as they pass through the processing facility (using the resources of the existing system in a different way).

3. An enzyme in the fluid should "eat" the cell walls and release the contents at the desired time.

All three methods have been tested successfully. The least expensive, highest yield method was soon put in production.

The "General TRIZ Solutions" referred to in Exhibit 1 have been developed over the course of the 60 years of TRIZ research, and have been organized in many different ways. Some of these are analytic methods such as:

The Ideal Final Result and Ideality,

Functional Modeling, Analysis and Trimming and

Locating the Zones of Conflict. (This is more familiar to Six Sigma problem solvers as "Root Cause Analysis.")

Some are more prescriptive such as:

The 40 Inventive Principles of Problem Solving,

The Separation Principles,

Laws of Technical Evolution and Technology Forecasting and

76 Standard Solutions.

In the course of solving any one technical problem, one tool or many can be used. The 40 Principles of Problem Solving are the most accessible "tool" of TRIZ. These are the principles that were found to

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repeat across many fields, as solutions to many general contradictions, which are at the heart of many problems.

A fundamental concept of TRIZ is that contradictions should be eliminated. TRIZ recognizes two categories of contradictions:

1. Technical contradictions are the classical engineering "trade-offs." The desired state can't be reached because something else in the system prevents it. In other words, when something gets better, something else gets worse. Classical examples include: The product gets stronger (good), but the weight increases (bad).

o The bandwidth for a communication system increases (good), but requires more power (bad).

o Service is customized to each customer (good), but the service delivery system gets complicated (bad).

o Training is comprehensive (good), but keeps employees away from their assignments (bad).

2. Physical contradictions, also called "inherent" contradictions, are situations in which one object or system has contradictory, opposite requirements. Everyday examples abound:

o Surveillance aircraft should fly fast (to get to the destination), but should fly slowly to collect data directly over the target for long time periods.

o Software should be complex (to have many features), but should be simple (to be easy to learn).

o Coffee should be hot for enjoyable drinking, but cold to prevent burning the customer o Training should take a long time (to be thorough), but not take any time.

Two personal examples offered by recent TRIZ classes:

I want my boss at the meeting, but I don't want my boss at the meeting.

I want to know everything my seventeen year-old child is doing, but I don't want to know everything she is doing.

TRIZ research has identified 40 principles that solve the Technical/tradeoff contradictions and four principles of separation that solve the Physical/inherent contradictions. Additional examples include:

Entertainment: Singapore needs to find a way to manage automobile traffic on the Sentosa, its entertainment island (aquarium, bird sanctuary, dolphin show, restaurants, music, etc.). Applications of TRIZ developed eight families of solutions.

IT Product development: A manufacturing company doubled the value to the customer of their patient interview system for opticians offices by applying the feedback and self-service principles of TRIZ to the overall product development, and applying the principles of segmentation, taking out and composite construction to the training and support.

School administrators: Creativity has been greatly enhanced in situations ranging from allocation of the budget for special education to building five schools with funding only for four, to improving racial harmony in the schools.

Waste processing: Dairy farm operators could no longer dry the cow manure due to increased cost of energy. TRIZ led the operators to a method used for the concentration of fruit juice, which requires no heat.

Warranty cost reduction: Ford used TRIZ to solve a persistent problem with squeaky windshields that was costing several million dollars each year. Previously, they had used TRIZ to reduce idle vibration in a small car by 165 percent, from one of the worst in its class to 30 percent better than the best in class.

A recent case study presented from the Dow Chemical Company showed the combined effect of TRIZ with Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) most dramatically.

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A Dow Plastics business found itself responding to meet the ever more rigorous needs of a cost-driven marketplace, for a technology tuned over decades. It convened a group of technical experts to redesign its "most effective" standard process technology for manufacturing facilities for this family of products. To stay competitive in costs, they needed to drastically reduce the capital needed to build future plants. Requirements seemed ever-tightening, calling for lower energy use, better ergonomics for operating personnel, and lower monomer residuals in product. The process, being decades old, had technology and equipment systems considered highly optimized – oh, the psychological inertia!

An overall Ideal Final Result helped outline the zones of conflict / pathways to innovation so that sub-groups could divide and attack each opportunity with the most appropriate tools. Substantial use of technical contradictions and inventive principles helped address trade-offs. The group assembled a dozen alternative systems by using a morphological box at the high, conceptual level. A Pugh concept selection matrix helped narrow the candidates to four for which the intermediate level of detail enabled cost estimations. Elements of IFR contributed to the evaluation criteria.

Breakthrough was achieved in control of monomer residuals, handling of raw materials, and reactor design. The reduction amazed even the project team, when the capital cost of a plant built to the new standard dropped by more than 25 percent, from nearly $110 million to < $80 million.

The best way to learn and explore TRIZ is to begin a problem that you haven't solved satisfactorily and try it!

About the Authors:

Katie Barry is the editor of RealInnovation.com. Contact Katie Barry at editor (at) realinnovation.com or visit http://www.realinnovation.com.

Ellen Domb is the founder and principal TRIZ consultant of the PQR Group. She is also the founding editor of The TRIZ Journal and a commentator for Real Innovation. Contact Ellen Domb atellendomb (at) trizpqrgroup.com or visit http://www.trizpqrgroup.com.

Michael S. Slocum, Ph.D., is the principal and chief executive officer of The Inventioneering Company. Contact Michael S. Slocum at michael (at) inventioneeringco.com or visithttp://www.inventioneeringco.com.

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RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS: Solving Real World Problems in the Classroom – A Realistic Application of STEM/STEAM Principles

Published in the Journal of the Illinois Association for Gifted Children [IAGC], March, 2014. This article is

reproduced with the consent of the Editor of the IAGC Journal, a nationally recognized forum for the education of gifted children and related issues. More can be learned about this organization at www.iagcgifted.org.

By

Harry T. Roman

Distinguished Technology Educator

―The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The truly dangerous thing is asking the wrong questions.‖ - Peter Drucker [Men, Ideas & Politics]

Prologue

Studying how problems are solved in the work-a-day world is a powerful way to allow gifted students to

practice multi-dimensional problem solving, and apply STEM/STEAM principles in the classroom. The process is the same, and can be learned early in a student’s life, for such skills never obsolesce. The world will always need problem solvers.

Introduction

Solving problems involves these important basic aspects:

1) Asking good quality questions, querying the problem in detail—for this approach often leads to high quality solutions;

2) Thinking in an integrated manner, seeing the relationship between concerns and possible constraints—which also leads to robust high quality solutions; and,

3) Assembling and utilizing the advice of a diverse project team—for such teams are generally able to generate 12 times as many good ideas as a person thinking alone, and tend to surface a variety of interesting outlooks on the problem.

Notice, there is no implicit discussion of the speed of the solution. While desirable in the business world to have high speed-to-solution for competitive market positioning, this does not always guarantee a robust solution. Robust solutions require hard work and integrated thinking, tempered with high quality question asking. Experienced problem solvers and project managers in industry will often coach young folks— about 50-70% of the time needed for solving problems is expended in understanding and planning the solution for

the problem. Rushing into a quick solution is fraught with many pitfalls. Time spent up-front and careful analysis is the way to go.

A Quick STEM/STEAM Overview

STEM/STEAM is an educational paradigm that integrates the curriculum; both process and content oriented; and standards-based.

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It exemplifies open-ended problem solving in the workplace; representing life-on-the-job after graduation, from either high school or college; team-based, head and hands learning. In its most fundamental form,

STEM/STEAM thrives in a team-based environment….more to be discussed about this at the end of this treatise.

It uses the scientific inquiry process [asking questions]; the invention process [creativity]; and the engineering design process [designing with constraints].

STEM/STEAM’s fundamental premise …the world is interconnected; and solving problems is an inter-disciplinary and multi-dimensional endeavor … involving active learning, teamwork, collaboration, and student empowerment.

It challenges students to become comfortable with open-ended, context based problem-solving … defining the problem first-then asking high quality questions; so robust and high quality solutions can be evaluated. [The quality of the questions asked, determine the quality of the solution(s)]

Problem solution is necessarily an iterative process. There is no answer in the back-of-the book, or a discrete solution that is ―right‖. It is about asking questions and exploring the problem; and then designing a solution that answers the questions. [Non-linear, insightful thinking, lateral thinking, and experiential insights can play a powerful role here.]

STEM/STEAM shines best when students see how math can be used for practical applications; and gain an appreciation of the problem’s magnitude and significance.

Designing with constraints, often uses a matrix-style of solution identification, assessment and selection. High quality solutions blend together the technical and non-technical concerns in potential solutions.

Teachers should conduct the classroom in a Socratic style, encouraging students to try new things, document their work, to learn from failure and be ready to try again. Teachers tie the students to the problem, leading them to pursue solutions through their students’ own natural exuberance and creativity.

The arts, humanities, and language skills are very important. In its most concentrated state, STEM/STEAM is a complete integration of the entire academic curricula.

Good written and oral communications is an absolute must for students. In the workplace, great ideas poorly presented will not be implemented.

―Think outside the square. Think for yourself don’t just follow the herd. Think multidisciplinary! Problems by definition, cross many academic disciplines.‖ -Lucas Remmerswaal, [ The A-Z of 13 Habits]

A Timely Example

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Let’s consider a realistic example of multi-dimensional problem solving. Our case for consideration shall be a solar photovoltaic (sunlight to electricity) system to be installed on the roof of a local school, maybe even one near you. The perspective to be taken by your G&T students will be that of a project manager-the one responsible for planning and implementing the installation of this system.

In our example, we shall note some typical [although not all the possible questions] which could be asked about the project, with these questions arranged in relevant topical categories. This exercise is meant to be illustrative in format and not totally comprehensive … so you will appreciate how question asking and project management of those concerns are undertaken. The important aspect of this discussion is for your gifted kids to see the integrative aspect of the problem solving-looking at the total picture.

A project engineer would usually be placed in charge of this project and his team of multi-disciplinary talents would be involved in major aspects of the project, probably managing the topical categories shown below, and reporting progress. Such teams might include members, maybe more than one, having disciplines like:

Engineer

Economist

Lawyer

Mathematician

Environmental Expert

Consultants/Subject Matter Experts

Sociologist

Safety Expert

In the case of a publicly sponsored project like this, it is entirely possible there would be members of the

community represented or acting as liaison to the team; such folks as council members, teachers/educators, parent-teacher organizations…etc. The project team could be significantly expanded; and these members of the community can ask some interesting questions for the project manager to deal with—which can add to the robustness of the solution.

This is how real world projects are handled by companies and their project engineers, seen through four

decades of engineering project management by the author. Much of the discussion below manifests as questions the project manager and his team would be asking.

Technology

Shall we use single crystal, polycrystalline, or thin film solar panel technology?

Will the panels be flat mounted to the roof, or angled at the latitude?

Whose panels and equipment will we order?

How big will the collection panel array be?

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Should we have single or multiple inverters to convert the DC power generated to AC power for use in the school?

Can the school roof support the load of the panels, and its normal snow load as well?

Can we tie into the school’s electrical system and sell back excess power to the local electric utility?

How long will it take to order and receive all the panels, wiring, and interface equipment?

What equipment guarantees can be expected?

What is our likely completed installation date?

Economy

What will the cost of this solar installation be?

How long will it take for the energy collected and sold to recoup or pay back the initial cost of the system?

What is the local utility buy-back rate for the energy generated?

How much will the yearly operation and maintenance costs for this be?

How will the presence of this installation affect the school’s insurance policy and those costs?

Is it better economically to buy cheap solar panels or expensive ones, considering system lifetime and

operational costs?

Is it better if the school/town owns the system or does a partnership with an energy purchasing company make better sense?

Safety

What are the safety concerns with a roof mounted system and potential worker injuries to be possibly incurred?

In the event of a roof fire, is this installation and its weight a hazard to fire-fighting crews?

During a fire, will the burning of solar panels release hazardous materials in the air and impact the neighborhood?

How do we protect this installation from lightning?

How do we prevent people receiving shocks if they touch the metal work of the installation?

How do we make sure this system shuts down in the event of a power loss at the utility end, so it does not feed-back and possibly injure utility line workers?

―What people think of as the moment of discovery, is really the discovery of the question.‖ - Jonas Salk

Regulatory

What forms must be filed-out for the school to qualify for the solar energy tax credits for this system?

How does the school system account for this in its annual budget?

What local town/city building and other codes apply to this installation?

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Must we have code approval authorities on-board from the beginning of the project? Who coordinates this…..the project team or the school administrators?

What codes and standards must be complied with to obtain local utility company buy-back?

What is their application process time and how soon do they need to be on-board?

Educational

How do we work in an educational aspect of this installation for the pupils in the school?

Should there be an interactive interface available for students to see how the solar system is working?

Do we make this interface via a webpage or a link via the school webpage?

Is there money for this educational aspect in the original budget or should we include more funding?

Should there be a teacher’s resource book for teaching solar system basics and operation that can be used in science and technology education classrooms here in the school? Who should write this?

Should we have some teachers on this project team as well?

Government

How do we coordinate this work with the town mayor and council?

Is there going to be an educational liaison person assigned from the mayor’s office, or the board of education?

Is there a protocol we need to follow before speaking to any newspaper or media folks about the project?

If we are asked to host visitors to the site, who will coordinate that or are we free to do so?

Social

Is this system likely to produce a sun glare problem for the surrounding homes at certain times of the year? If so, are there mitigating techniques we can use that will not compromise system operation and collection?

Are other schools in this school system likely also to be candidates for such an installation?

What is the town’s general feeling for paying for this system in their taxes?

Is there any possibility we could see negative press in local newspapers?

Will this solar installation detract from the architectural beauty of the school or from nearby homes, structures, or municipal edifices?

As discussed at the beginning of this section, this is by no means a comprehensive itemization of all the

possible questions a project engineer would be working on. Most likely there will be many more, and new ones that manifest as the project progresses…..and the inevitable problems that arise during normal construction and start-up. The team may need to be expanded to include other experts as well, and their opinions and specialties consulted. These impact areas are quite realistic for this solar technology, and draw upon the author’s thirty years of experience with designing and installing solar energy systems during his previous employment.

Practice in the Classroom

Page 17: How Will I Know if Engineering is Right for Me

Your gifted and talented students can solve complex problems like this as well.

You can organize project teams of 4-5 students and ask them to try and solve problems using the paradigm discussed above—problems that are specific to the school. Each team member can be responsible for

assessing one or more concerns and bringing their questions to the plan for a solution. Here are some possible problems with which to challenge your gifted students:

Add a large and working greenhouse to the school

Add a new STEM based wing of classrooms to the school

Change the academic day to a studio-type environment, with each class having a three-hour duration—how would classes be taught?

Re-design the streets around the school to facilitate better parent drop-off and school bus access.

―A problem well stated is a problem half solved.‖ – John Dewey

Working with Student Teams—Dynamics and Motivations Affecting Student Response

The very basis of most gifted and talented STEM/STEAM design challenges has its roots firmly planted in student teams working cooperatively. Important it is therefore to examine these dynamics. The very way

such teams are initially established in class can influence how well they do in completing their challenge. Monitoring and mentoring these teams is also important to keep them focused and on track. Inter-disciplinary/ inter-departmental teams are a routine part of the globally competitive marketplace. It is never too early to learn this critical skill.

Establishing and Mentoring Teams

Following is a rough listing [not in any rank or priority order] of the things that affect how students/teams respond to design challenges.

Left to their own choosing, like-minded students will tend to self-organize into comfortable teams—not always the best situation. Ideally, teachers will want to mix head and hand learners on teams so a diversity of approaches will be available for team members to learn from. A team is as important in what it teaches each of its members as how well it collectively accomplishes its goal of solving a specific problem. Teams of 3-4 gifted students are usually best.

How gifted students/teams generally perceive the challenge that confronts them … interesting, timely, something they had input in choosing and forming … goes a long way to initially motivate the team. Ultimately this helps the team crystallize around the problem, taking ownership of it, wanting to solve it. Allow team members to freely discuss the problem and take possession of it, become comfortable with its texture and feel, knowing they have the freedom to solve it the way they feel is best.

It helps a great deal to let teams develop a logo or name that is unique to their members—a visual construct that puts their own personal stamp upon the problem, letting other teams know who they are…establishing their turf as it were, hoisting their colors, staking their claim … and setting the stage for some creative tension and friendly competition. Teams that compete are teams that rise to the challenge in unconventional and out-of-the-box ways.

Page 18: How Will I Know if Engineering is Right for Me

Bear in mind that team members come to school with past experiences, personal ideas and thoughts about how the world works and maybe should work; and possibly strong perspectives about technology and its use. This serves to enrich the team setting, exposing other members to new ideas and personalities-much of which makes for a better chance of generating unusual and unique ideas. Experts agree that teams are probably capable of generating 10-12 times as many ideas as a single person working alone.

To be really effective, teams must be able to communicate effectively among their members and with the teacher and other teams. Great ideas poorly communicated are not going to be convincing. Good oral and communication skills must be strongly emphasized from the very beginning of the team formations. A team log or invention book whereby all members contribute their ideas and thoughts is encouraged as this will help teams to capture their ideas and organize them for discussion and presentation later.

Beware the dominating personality! Teams are supposed to be dialogues, not monologues; but a strong G&T student can overwhelm the others, imposing their will and directions on others. One way to avoid this is to assign rotating team captains so everyone has a chance to lead the team and experience the joy and fun of being team leader.

Open-ended, context based design challenges can be quite disturbing for those used to the regular ―chalk and talk‖, ―sage on the stage‖ ebb and flow of traditional classrooms. Being out in the deep water where ―nothing is given and nothing is known‖ can be paralyzing for gifted head learners. Make sure all teams are comfortable with the ambiguity of learning as you go along, making mistakes and learning quickly from them. Team challenges are largely iterative exercises, something your hand learners may be faster on the draw at than head learners. This is why it is so important to have the teams balanced with both types of learners.

Closely allied with the preceding paragraph is empowering teams to fail, and to learn from mistakes. The stigma of failure is ingrained in students and must be brought to the surface and banished from team dynamics. Thomas Edison always said to ―fail your way to success‖. There is no shame in failure, only shame in not learning from it. Remind your gifted students….. everyone gets to fail in the privacy of their home every night. It’s called homework—from which each student learns from their mistakes. Erasers are

on the backs of pencils for a reason.

―Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.‖ - Henry Ford

Typically teams will start off in divergent thinking modes, skittering here and there, generating ideas and creating lots of comments and ideas. Eventually they will enter a convergent thinking mode where they zero-in on potential solutions and pick one that seems to be best. Allow enough time for this divergent-convergent crossover! Make sure the teams do not rush this and race to possible solutions.

Always … always … always … make sure your teams are asking questions of their challenge, turning it over in their minds, trying get it to yield information. So crucial is this for context based problem solving; and so powerful will this become later as they enter the professional world. Remember the so-called ―ah-ha‖ moment is not when you get the answer to a challenge, but when you realize the right question(s) to ask of it!

Managing Teams

An effective way to manage student teams is to put them through a series of milestones or checkpoints, guideposts that help organize and focus team energy. Here are some suggestions:

Page 19: How Will I Know if Engineering is Right for Me

1) Have each team develop a plan for how long it will take them to develop a solution to their challenge and make sure they stick to this schedule-with frequent reports of progress and key tasks completed.

2) Make sure teams daily enter their thoughts, ideas, diagrams and sketches in their notebooks and that other students witness these entries and initial that they have indeed reviewed the work and understand it.

3) List the key questions asked about their challenge and what was concluded.

4) List the resources they consulted with … human, Internet, books, articles … etc. and what was learned from these sources.

5) Rotate team captains at regular time intervals.

Water and fertilize team soil, encouraging them to think out of the box, and seek unusual solutions. Give them plenty of cheerleading as they iterate toward a solution. These sorts of open-ended challenges are not easy for newbies-testing them at many levels at once. They may be literally treading water and seeking solutions at the same time. It might be very worthwhile to do a warm-up exercise or two in class before establishing formal teams, or maybe a small scale project each student can try on their own first in maybe 2 person teams. It is OK to work up to a larger challenge.

―The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.‖ - Babe Ruth

Sources

Burke, J. (1978). Connections. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company.

Burke, J. (1985). The Day the Universe Stood Still. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company.

Dombroski T. (2000). Creative Problem Solving: The Door to Individual Success and Change. Lincoln, NE: toEXcel Press.

Roman, H. T. (2011). STEM—-Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education for Gifted Students: Designing a Powerful Approach to Real-World Problem Solving for Gifted Students in Middle and High School Grades. Manassas, VA: Gifted Education Press.

Roman, H. T. (2010). Exploring Energy & Alternate Energy Technologies and Issues: Resource Guide for the Gifted Middle and High School Classroom. Manassas, VA: Gifted Education Press.

Roman, H. T. (2009). Energizing Your Gifted Students’ Creative Thinking & Imagination: Using Design Principles, Team Activities, and Invention Strategies-A Complete Lesson Guide for Upper Elementary and Middle School Levels. Manassas, VA: Gifted Education Press.

Roman, H. T. (2010). Content and process, a balance for success in problem-solving. Gifted Education Press Newsletter, Vol. 19, No. 6.

Straker, D. (1997). Rapid Problem Solving with Post-it Notes. De Capo Press.

Page 20: How Will I Know if Engineering is Right for Me

Watanabe, K. (2009). Problem Solving 101: A Simple Book for Smart People. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

Page 21: How Will I Know if Engineering is Right for Me

RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS: Solving Real World Problems

in the Classroom – A Realistic Application of STEM/STEAM

Principles

Published in the Journal of the Illinois Association for Gifted Children [IAGC], March, 2014.

This article is reproduced with the consent of the Editor of the IAGC Journal, a nationally

recognized forum for the education of gifted children and related issues. More can be

learned about this organization atwww.iagcgifted.org.

By

Harry T. Roman

Distinguished Technology Educator

“The most serious mistakes are not being made as a

result of wrong answers. The truly dangerous thing is

asking the wrong questions.” - Peter Drucker [Men, Ideas

& Politics]

Prologue

Studying how problems are solved in the work-a-day world is a powerful way to allow gifted students

to practice multi-dimensional problem solving, and apply STEM/STEAM principles in the classroom.

The process is the same, and can be learned early in a student’s life, for such skills never obsolesce.

The world will always need problem solvers.

Introduction

Solving problems involves these important basic aspects:

1) Asking good quality questions, querying the problem in detail—for this approach often leads to high

quality solutions;

2) Thinking in an integrated manner, seeing the relationship between concerns and possible

constraints—which also leads to robust high quality solutions; and,

3) Assembling and utilizing the advice of a diverse project team—for such teams are generally able to

generate 12 times as many good ideas as a person thinking alone, and tend to surface a variety of

interesting outlooks on the problem.

Notice, there is no implicit discussion of the speed of the solution. While desirable in the business

world to have high speed-to-solution for competitive market positioning, this does not always

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guarantee a robust solution. Robust solutions require hard work and integrated thinking, tempered

with high quality question asking. Experienced problem solvers and project managers in industry will

often coach young folks— about 50-70% of the time needed for solving problems is expended in

understanding and planning the solution for the problem. Rushing into a quick solution is fraught with

many pitfalls. Time spent up-front and careful analysis is the way to go.

A Quick STEM/STEAM Overview

STEM/STEAM is an educational paradigm that integrates the curriculum; both process and content

oriented; and standards-based.

It exemplifies open-ended problem solving in the workplace; representing life-on-the-job after

graduation, from either high school or college; team-based, head and hands learning. In its most

fundamental form, STEM/STEAM thrives in a team-based environment….more to be discussed about

this at the end of this treatise.

It uses the scientific inquiry process [asking questions]; the invention process [creativity]; and the

engineering design process [designing with constraints].

STEM/STEAM’s fundamental premise …the world is interconnected; and solving problems is an inter-

disciplinary and multi-dimensional endeavor … involving active learning, teamwork, collaboration, and

student empowerment.

It challenges students to become comfortable with open-ended, context based problem-solving …

defining the problem first-then asking high quality questions; so robust and high quality solutions can

be evaluated. [The quality of the questions asked, determine the quality of the solution(s)]

Problem solution is necessarily an iterative process. There is no answer in the back-of-the book, or a

discrete solution that is ―right‖. It is about asking questions and exploring the problem; and then

designing a solution that answers the questions. [Non-linear, insightful thinking, lateral thinking, and

experiential insights can play a powerful role here.]

STEM/STEAM shines best when students see how math can be used for practical applications; and gain

an appreciation of the problem’s magnitude and significance.

Designing with constraints, often uses a matrix-style of solution identification, assessment and

selection. High quality solutions blend together the technical and non-technical concerns in potential

solutions.

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Teachers should conduct the classroom in a Socratic style, encouraging students to try new things,

document their work, to learn from failure and be ready to try again. Teachers tie the students to the

problem, leading them to pursue solutions through their students’ own natural exuberance and

creativity.

The arts, humanities, and language skills are very important. In its most concentrated state,

STEM/STEAM is a complete integration of the entire academic curricula.

Good written and oral communications is an absolute must for students. In the workplace, great ideas

poorly presented will not be implemented.

“Think outside the square. Think for yourself don’t

just follow the herd. Think multidisciplinary! Problems

by definition, cross many academic disciplines.” -Lucas

Remmerswaal, [ The A-Z of 13 Habits]

A Timely Example

Let’s consider a realistic example of multi-dimensional problem solving. Our case for consideration

shall be a solar photovoltaic (sunlight to electricity) system to be installed on the roof of a local school,

maybe even one near you. The perspective to be taken by your G&T students will be that of a project

manager-the one responsible for planning and implementing the installation of this system.

In our example, we shall note some typical [although not all the possible questions] which could be

asked about the project, with these questions arranged in relevant topical categories. This exercise is

meant to be illustrative in format and not totally comprehensive … so you will appreciate how question

asking and project management of those concerns are undertaken. The important aspect of this

discussion is for your gifted kids to see the integrative aspect of the problem solving-looking at the

total picture.

A project engineer would usually be placed in charge of this project and his team of multi-disciplinary

talents would be involved in major aspects of the project, probably managing the topical categories

shown below, and reporting progress. Such teams might include members, maybe more than one,

having disciplines like:

Engineer

Economist

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Lawyer

Mathematician

Environmental Expert

Consultants/Subject Matter Experts

Sociologist

Safety Expert

In the case of a publicly sponsored project like this, it is entirely possible there would be members of

the community represented or acting as liaison to the team; such folks as council members,

teachers/educators, parent-teacher organizations…etc. The project team could be significantly

expanded; and these members of the community can ask some interesting questions for the project

manager to deal with—which can add to the robustness of the solution.

This is how real world projects are handled by companies and their project engineers, seen through

four decades of engineering project management by the author. Much of the discussion below

manifests as questions the project manager and his team would be asking.

Technology

Shall we use single crystal, polycrystalline, or thin film solar panel technology?

Will the panels be flat mounted to the roof, or angled at the latitude?

Whose panels and equipment will we order?

How big will the collection panel array be?

Should we have single or multiple inverters to convert the DC power generated to AC power for use in the school?

Can the school roof support the load of the panels, and its normal snow load as well?

Can we tie into the school’s electrical system and sell back excess power to the local electric utility?

How long will it take to order and receive all the panels, wiring, and interface equipment?

What equipment guarantees can be expected?

What is our likely completed installation date?

Economy

What will the cost of this solar installation be?

How long will it take for the energy collected and sold to recoup or pay back the initial cost of the

system?

What is the local utility buy-back rate for the energy generated?

How much will the yearly operation and maintenance costs for this be?

How will the presence of this installation affect the school’s insurance policy and those costs?

Is it better economically to buy cheap solar panels or expensive ones, considering system lifetime

and operational costs?

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Is it better if the school/town owns the system or does a partnership with an energy purchasing

company make better sense?

Safety

What are the safety concerns with a roof mounted system and potential worker injuries to be possibly incurred?

In the event of a roof fire, is this installation and its weight a hazard to fire-fighting crews?

During a fire, will the burning of solar panels release hazardous materials in the air and impact the neighborhood?

How do we protect this installation from lightning?

How do we prevent people receiving shocks if they touch the metal work of the installation?

How do we make sure this system shuts down in the event of a power loss at the utility end, so it

does not feed-back and possibly injure utility line workers?

“What people think of as the moment of discovery, is

really the discovery of the question.” - Jonas Salk

Regulatory

What forms must be filed-out for the school to qualify for the solar energy tax credits for this system?

How does the school system account for this in its annual budget?

What local town/city building and other codes apply to this installation?

Must we have code approval authorities on-board from the beginning of the project? Who

coordinates this…..the project team or the school administrators?

What codes and standards must be complied with to obtain local utility company buy-back?

What is their application process time and how soon do they need to be on-board?

Educational

How do we work in an educational aspect of this installation for the pupils in the school?

Should there be an interactive interface available for students to see how the solar system is

working?

Do we make this interface via a webpage or a link via the school webpage?

Is there money for this educational aspect in the original budget or should we include more funding?

Should there be a teacher’s resource book for teaching solar system basics and operation that can be used in science and technology education classrooms here in the school? Who should write this?

Should we have some teachers on this project team as well?

Government

How do we coordinate this work with the town mayor and council?

Is there going to be an educational liaison person assigned from the mayor’s office, or the board of

education?

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Is there a protocol we need to follow before speaking to any newspaper or media folks about the

project?

If we are asked to host visitors to the site, who will coordinate that or are we free to do so?

Social

Is this system likely to produce a sun glare problem for the surrounding homes at certain times of the year? If so, are there mitigating techniques we can use that will not compromise system

operation and collection?

Are other schools in this school system likely also to be candidates for such an installation?

What is the town’s general feeling for paying for this system in their taxes?

Is there any possibility we could see negative press in local newspapers?

Will this solar installation detract from the architectural beauty of the school or from nearby homes,

structures, or municipal edifices?

As discussed at the beginning of this section, this is by no means a comprehensive itemization of all

the possible questions a project engineer would be working on. Most likely there will be many more,

and new ones that manifest as the project progresses…..and the inevitable problems that arise during

normal construction and start-up. The team may need to be expanded to include other experts as

well, and their opinions and specialties consulted. These impact areas are quite realistic for this solar

technology, and draw upon the author’s thirty years of experience with designing and installing solar

energy systems during his previous employment.

Practice in the Classroom

Your gifted and talented students can solve complex problems like this as well.

You can organize project teams of 4-5 students and ask them to try and solve problems using the

paradigm discussed above—problems that are specific to the school. Each team member can be

responsible for assessing one or more concerns and bringing their questions to the plan for a solution.

Here are some possible problems with which to challenge your gifted students:

Add a large and working greenhouse to the school

Add a new STEM based wing of classrooms to the school

Change the academic day to a studio-type environment, with each class having a three-hour

duration—how would classes be taught?

Re-design the streets around the school to facilitate better parent drop-off and school bus access.

“A problem well stated is a problem half solved.” – John

Dewey

Working with Student Teams—Dynamics and Motivations Affecting Student Response

The very basis of most gifted and talented STEM/STEAM design challenges has its roots firmly planted

Page 27: How Will I Know if Engineering is Right for Me

in student teams working cooperatively. Important it is therefore to examine these dynamics. The

very way such teams are initially established in class can influence how well they do in completing

their challenge. Monitoring and mentoring these teams is also important to keep them focused and on

track. Inter-disciplinary/ inter-departmental teams are a routine part of the globally competitive

marketplace. It is never too early to learn this critical skill.

Establishing and Mentoring Teams

Following is a rough listing [not in any rank or priority order] of the things that affect how

students/teams respond to design challenges.

Left to their own choosing, like-minded students will tend to self-organize into comfortable teams—not

always the best situation. Ideally, teachers will want to mix head and hand learners on teams so a

diversity of approaches will be available for team members to learn from. A team is as important in

what it teaches each of its members as how well it collectively accomplishes its goal of solving a

specific problem. Teams of 3-4 gifted students are usually best.

How gifted students/teams generally perceive the challenge that confronts them … interesting, timely,

something they had input in choosing and forming … goes a long way to initially motivate the team.

Ultimately this helps the team crystallize around the problem, taking ownership of it, wanting to solve

it. Allow team members to freely discuss the problem and take possession of it, become comfortable

with its texture and feel, knowing they have the freedom to solve it the way they feel is best.

It helps a great deal to let teams develop a logo or name that is unique to their members—a visual

construct that puts their own personal stamp upon the problem, letting other teams know who they

are…establishing their turf as it were, hoisting their colors, staking their claim … and setting the stage

for some creative tension and friendly competition. Teams that compete are teams that rise to the

challenge in unconventional and out-of-the-box ways.

Bear in mind that team members come to school with past experiences, personal ideas and thoughts

about how the world works and maybe should work; and possibly strong perspectives about

technology and its use. This serves to enrich the team setting, exposing other members to new ideas

and personalities-much of which makes for a better chance of generating unusual and unique ideas.

Experts agree that teams are probably capable of generating 10-12 times as many ideas as a single

person working alone.

To be really effective, teams must be able to communicate effectively among their members and with

the teacher and other teams. Great ideas poorly communicated are not going to be convincing. Good

Page 28: How Will I Know if Engineering is Right for Me

oral and communication skills must be strongly emphasized from the very beginning of the team

formations. A team log or invention book whereby all members contribute their ideas and thoughts is

encouraged as this will help teams to capture their ideas and organize them for discussion and

presentation later.

Beware the dominating personality! Teams are supposed to be dialogues, not monologues; but a

strong G&T student can overwhelm the others, imposing their will and directions on others. One way

to avoid this is to assign rotating team captains so everyone has a chance to lead the team and

experience the joy and fun of being team leader.

Open-ended, context based design challenges can be quite disturbing for those used to the regular

―chalk and talk‖, ―sage on the stage‖ ebb and flow of traditional classrooms. Being out in the deep

water where ―nothing is given and nothing is known‖ can be paralyzing for gifted head learners. Make

sure all teams are comfortable with the ambiguity of learning as you go along, making mistakes and

learning quickly from them. Team challenges are largely iterative exercises, something your hand

learners may be faster on the draw at than head learners. This is why it is so important to have the

teams balanced with both types of learners.

Closely allied with the preceding paragraph is empowering teams to fail, and to learn from mistakes.

The stigma of failure is ingrained in students and must be brought to the surface and banished from

team dynamics. Thomas Edison always said to ―fail your way to success‖. There is no shame in failure,

only shame in not learning from it. Remind your gifted students….. everyone gets to fail in the privacy

of their home every night. It’s called homework—from which each student learns from their mistakes.

Erasers are on the backs of pencils for a reason.

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is

progress. Working together is success.” - Henry Ford

Typically teams will start off in divergent thinking modes, skittering here and there, generating ideas

and creating lots of comments and ideas. Eventually they will enter a convergent thinking mode where

they zero-in on potential solutions and pick one that seems to be best. Allow enough time for this

divergent-convergent crossover! Make sure the teams do not rush this and race to possible solutions.

Always … always … always … make sure your teams are asking questions of their challenge, turning it

over in their minds, trying get it to yield information. So crucial is this for context based problem

Page 29: How Will I Know if Engineering is Right for Me

solving; and so powerful will this become later as they enter the professional world. Remember the

so-called ―ah-ha‖ moment is not when you get the answer to a challenge, but when you realize the

right question(s) to ask of it!

Managing Teams

An effective way to manage student teams is to put them through a series of milestones or

checkpoints, guideposts that help organize and focus team energy. Here are some suggestions:

1) Have each team develop a plan for how long it will take them to develop a solution to their

challenge and make sure they stick to this schedule-with frequent reports of progress and key tasks

completed.

2) Make sure teams daily enter their thoughts, ideas, diagrams and sketches in their notebooks and

that other students witness these entries and initial that they have indeed reviewed the work and

understand it.

3) List the key questions asked about their challenge and what was concluded.

4) List the resources they consulted with … human, Internet, books, articles … etc. and what was

learned from these sources.

5) Rotate team captains at regular time intervals.

Water and fertilize team soil, encouraging them to think out of the box, and seek unusual solutions.

Give them plenty of cheerleading as they iterate toward a solution. These sorts of open-ended

challenges are not easy for newbies-testing them at many levels at once. They may be literally

treading water and seeking solutions at the same time. It might be very worthwhile to do a warm-up

exercise or two in class before establishing formal teams, or maybe a small scale project each student

can try on their own first in maybe 2 person teams. It is OK to work up to a larger challenge.

“The way a team plays as a whole determines its

success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual

stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club

won’t be worth a dime.” - Babe Ruth

Sources

1. Burke, J. (1978). Connections. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company.

Page 30: How Will I Know if Engineering is Right for Me

2. Burke, J. (1985). The Day the Universe Stood Still. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company.

3. Dombroski T. (2000). Creative Problem Solving: The Door to Individual Success and Change. Lincoln, NE: toEXcel Press.

4. Roman, H. T. (2011). STEM—-Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education for Gifted

Students: Designing a Powerful Approach to Real-World Problem Solving for Gifted Students in Middle and High School Grades. Manassas, VA: Gifted Education Press.

5. Roman, H. T. (2010). Exploring Energy & Alternate Energy Technologies and Issues: Resource Guide for the Gifted Middle and High School Classroom.Manassas, VA: Gifted Education Press.

6. Roman, H. T. (2009). Energizing Your Gifted Students’ Creative Thinking & Imagination: Using Design Principles, Team Activities, and Invention Strategies-A Complete Lesson Guide for Upper Elementary and Middle School Levels. Manassas, VA: Gifted Education Press.

7. Roman, H. T. (2010). Content and process, a balance for success in problem-solving. Gifted Education Press Newsletter, Vol. 19, No. 6.

8. Straker, D. (1997). Rapid Problem Solving with Post-it Notes. De Capo Press. 9. Watanabe, K. (2009). Problem Solving 101: A Simple Book for Smart People. New York, NY: Penguin

Group.

Page 31: How Will I Know if Engineering is Right for Me

Life Lessons and Epiphanies From Nobel Prize Laureates

We spent the first days of our trip in Stockholm, where we attended the lectures of the Nobel

Laureates in Physics, Chemistry, and Economics and had the opportunity to interview them

afterward.

1. Be Willing to Fail

Failure is not bad. You can’t succeed if you’re too scared of failing. When something does not work

out as planned or completely fails, in the end, you just admit it, people forgive you, and you move on.

Pick yourself up and start over. You cannot let failure stop you.

2. Family Is One of the Most Important Things in Life

Each laureate mentioned his family—wife, children, parents, and extended family—as being a huge

source of support and inspiration. Several of them credited fathers or uncles or family members

they’d looked up to who were scientists, which got them interested in the profession at an early age.

3. Loving Your Work Makes All the Difference

Every laureate loves his work—all lit up when they spoke about what it meant to them personally.

They were excited about winning the Nobel Prize, of course, but all said that when they got back to

life as usual, the prize wouldn’t matter. What matters most is their actual work, research, and the

people with whom they work.

4. Colleagues and Collaboration Are Key and Imperative to Success

Their colleagues are very important to all of these men. Each one talked about the collaboration and

the camaraderie that it takes to make discoveries like these.

5. We Need More Women in the Sciences

All of the 2011 Nobel Laureates in science and literature were men, but they expressed a desire and

hope to try to recruit more women to the sciences. Women have received a Nobel Prize in the

Sciences seventeen times since the Nobel Prize’s inception in 1901. (There are only forty-three

women Nobel Prize Laureates total in the history of the Prize.)

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Why is it important to learn problem-solving skills? Because we all have to make decisions.

Whether you're a student, a parent, a businessperson, or the president of the United States,

you face problems every day that need solving. Maybe you're trying to save your company,

keep your job, or end the world financial crisis. Maybe you simply need to eat better or find

more time to spend with your family.

Whether the issue is big or small, we all set goals for ourselves, face challenges, and strive to

overcome them. But what you might not know is there's an easy way to consistently arrive at

effective and satisfying solutions. There's a universal and fundamental approach to solving

problems, but chances are no one has ever bothered to show you how.

I saw the importance of problem solving first hand when I was working as a consultant for

the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. For six years, I worked with

major companies all over the world to help solve their business challenges using a

straightforward yet powerful set of problem-solving tools. And these were tools that anyone

could use. They didn't require complicated computer software or an MBA. These simple

approaches are basic enough for a child to understand.

So in 2007, when Japan's prime minister made education his nation's top agenda, I felt

compelled to do my part as the nation turned its focus to the educational system. Although

Japanese business leaders, educators, and politicians have long talked about the need for

Japan to shift from "memorization-focused education" to "problem-solving-focused

education," no one had figured out a concrete and effective way to make this happen.

So I left McKinsey to write a book and to teach kids. My aim was to teach Japanese children

how to think like problem solvers, to take a proactive role in their own education and in

shaping their lives. I tried to frame the tools we used at McKinsey in a fun and approachable

way, one that would show kids what a practical approach to problem solving could help

them accomplish. Although I don't claim to be any kind of expert on education, I hoped that

the book would at least provide a starting point, one that would help shift the debate from

whether we should teach problem solving to how we should go about teaching it.

The book, Problem Solving 101 (originally publishing in Japan as Problem Solving Kids),

spread through the education community and to a wider general audience. It turned out

that adult readers in Japan, from parents and teachers to CEOs of major corporations, had

been craving a simple and useful guide to problem-solving techniques.

You can check out some of the problem-solving tool boxes and challenge yourself

atwww.ProblemSolvingToolBox.com.

It's important to realize that being a problem solver isn't just an ability; it's a whole mind-

set, one that drives people to bring out the best in themselves and to shape the world in a

positive way. Rather than accepting the status quo, true problem solvers are constantly

trying to proactively shape their environment. Imagine how different our world would be if

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leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt, JFK, and Steve

Jobs lacked this attitude.

Now I'm focusing on helping kids put that attitude into practice. The experience kids get

from having an idea, taking initiative, and learning from both their successes and their

failures is invaluable. So I'm creating more opportunities for them to learn from real-life

situations rather than just in the classroom.

When I work with kids, I let them learn the same way Warren Buffett did. Buffett got his

first business experience when he was only six years old, buying Coke bottles from his

grandfather's store and selling them for a profit. The kids I work with get to run a food and

drink business using a 1965 VW van I've renovated for use as a transportable shop. The kids

decide what food and drinks to sell, where to sell, and how to compete against other teams

by actually selling what they have cooked or prepared. They learn the importance of not just

problem solving skills, but also leadership, teamwork, creativity, persistence, charm, and

kaizen (continuous improvement) to make their vision come true. Only after this experience

do I help them ask the important questions and provide them with the problem-solving

tools that could help them with future projects.

As many people have already learned, problem solving is easy when you know how to

approach it effectively. My aim is to help people make problem solving into a habit, one that

empowers them to solve not only their own problems, but the challenges of their schools,

businesses, communities -- and maybe even the world.

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