This summer I was fortunate enough to participate in Drexel University's Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program.
We participated in lab sessions that demonstrated how to use
cooperative groups to create the components of a simple machine using
K'Nex. Nothing like toys to bring a group of teachers together!
Program Overview
The Research
Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering program supports the
active involvement of K-12 teachers and community college faculty in
engineering research in order to bring knowledge of engineering and
technological innovation into their classrooms. The goal is to help
build long-term collaborative partnerships between K-12 science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers, community
college faculty, and the NSF university research community by involving
the teachers in engineering research and helping them translate their
research experiences and new knowledge of engineering into classroom
activities.
The RET Fellows participated in a five-week intensive research
period in the summer, and participated in the Introduction
to Emerging Technology course. The lectures covered topics in: a) Information Technology, b)
Nanotechnology, and c) Biotechnology. The RET Fellows were paired with a Drexel professor
who is involved in the area of research which is of
interest to the Fellows.
