DRK12 Robotics

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A two-day LEGO EV3 Robotics & NGSS professional development for middle school teachers is taking place at New York University Tandon School of Engineering. This is a professional development opportunity for NYC middle school science and math teachers to learn how to develop STEM lessons in areas of life sciences, physical sciences, and mathematics, all aligned to the three-dimensional learning of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and 5E Instructional Model, coined NGSS-Plus-5E Robotics Lessons.

Robotics, NGSS lessons have been created by previous participating NYC middle school teachers who are now experienced in LEGO EV3 coding and creating three-dimensional NGSS lessons. These teachers have been working with NYU Tandon instructors and faculty for several years to successfully incorporate robotics in their classrooms. This year, teachers interested in this PD opportunity will get a chance to learn how to teach NGSS, STEM lessons using the LEGO EV3 kit by highly experienced teachers and NYU engineers/instructors.

The lessons and activities included in this PD program have been developed under a National Science Foundation funded Discovery Research K-12 (DRK-12) project, which uses robotics and engineering design practices as the curriculum focus to create hands-on science and math curricula aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

With teachers as design partners, the project is: 

• Developing and refining curricula that promote project-based, hands-on, instruction to help students learn, understand, and apply underlying science and math content while doing age-appropriate robotics activities.

• Deepening teachers’ technical, pedagogical, and content knowledge, contextualized in and reinforced through robotics design experiences.

• Fostering teachers’ skills and attitudes for integrating robotics-based learning in the required science and math classes.

• Enabling teachers to use their students’ interest in robotics to engage them to learn the required science and math content.

• Using robotics as a means to expose teachers to tools, techniques, and models of authentic engineering design.

Teachers will...

• Discover the science and math inherent in doing robotics activities. 

• Understand how to address the engineering design content of the Next Generation Science Standards.

• Develop viable models to incorporate essential elements of robotics in STEM learning.

• Form a professional learning community for ongoing support.

• Teachers will employ robotics as a pedagogical tool to support active, collaborative learning for NGSS-aligned, middle school life sciences, physical sciences and math courses.

• Teachers can leverage robotics-based science & math lessons to promote STEM learning motivation and engagement.

• Science, Math, or CTE middle school teacher with regular teaching appointment located in New York City and neighboring areas

• Previous experience with the LEGO EV3 kit preferred. Please bring your kit with you, only limited kits will be available during the summer PD.

Professional Development Sessions:

• Session 1: Tues and Wed, July 23 – July 24, 2019 (9am—4pm)

• Session 2: Tues and Wed, July 30 – July 31, 2019 (9am—4pm)

• Where: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, 6 MetroTech, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Application decisions and notifications are made on a rolling basis