Think Like an Engineer Poster
Empower students to think like an engineer in 5 easy steps
Ask. Identify the problem or problems.
Focus on how engineers make an impact on the world and the need for creativity, communication and teamwork in the engineering profession. It’s a multifaceted story. Students should be able to see firsthand how their efforts affect the lives of real people, which expands our knowledge of how to create next-generation designs.
Imagine. Think of all the possible solutions – not just the “right” solution.
Create different and interesting experiences for young people to engage with engineering concepts. Help them explore technology in an interactive and insightful way – through workshops in fields such as robotics, mechanics, and coding. This provides them with practical knowledge and understanding of the impact that they can have being part of innovative projects.
Plan. Take notes, label, and organize.
Teach students that engineers work with materials to solve problems. Some build bridges across rivers. Others design structures to support heavy loads under many different conditions. Still others design roads over mountain passes and tunnels through mountains. All engineers follow similar processes as they build and test products or solve problems, each requiring detailed notes, plans and organization.
Create. Build and test different solutions. Don’t be afraid to fail.
In a rapidly changing world, we must teach youth the importance of iteration. It should be our beckoning call. We need to encourage young people to develop their creative, analytical and spatial skills, laying the foundation for further scientific exploration as they grow.
Improve. Adjust the design to make it better.
Students learn how to navigate a challenge by trying, failing and rethinking their designs and then trying some more. The idea that failure is good can be a radical concept in the classroom, and it can be a new experience for students, but it’s how engineering works. Each failure informs a future design that brings an engineer one step closer to success.
