 |
A
World in Motion (AWIM) Program
Photo Gallery
Two core activites of the Science, Mathematics,
Engineering and Technology (SMET) program are to supply hands-on
design projects with inquiry-based learning and provide project
hardware and curriculum materials to teachers. IDEAS provides design
projects and curriculum materials from the nationally acclaimed
A World in Motion (AWIM) Program developed
by the Society of Automotive Engineers
(SAE) Foundation to participating teachers for use in their
classrooms.
The
AWIM materials were developed and classroom-tested by the Society
of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Foundation with funding from the
National Science Foundation and
industry sponsors. The AWIM materials supplied by the SAE
Foundation provide teachers with a turn-key operation by providing
a teacher's guide, project
materials, student booklets, videos,
letters to parents, and dynamic
posters.
The
AWIM Experience
During the AWIM experience, students work together in "engineering
design teams" as they explore mathematics and physics through
a series of hands-on, inquiry-based learning activities. The program
is presented in three challenges spanning grades 4-8, with each
challenge spanning a 3-week to 8-week period.
|
Challenge
|
Grade
|
Description
|
Length
|
|
1
|
4
|
Design
of skimmer boat
|
3
weeks
|
|
|
5
|
Design
of a jet toy car
|
3
weeks
|
|
|
6
|
Design
of a can rover
|
3
weeks
|
|
2
|
7
|
Design
of an electric toy
|
8
weeks
|
|
3
|
8
|
Design
of a gliding toy
|
8
weeks
|
A new
Challenge 4 on electricity and electronics for grades
4-10 will be released in 2003.
Students in each challenge work together in engineering design
teams, as a team of teachers lead them through a six-phase design
process:
- Set
goals
- Build
knowledge
- Design
- Build
and test
- Finalize
the model, and
- Present
Science
and math content and skills in each of these projects satisfy the
Texas
Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), the Benchmarks
for Science Literacy of the Association
for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the National
Science Education Standards of the National
Research Council (NRC).
A key
part of the program is the involvement of a volunteer from the engineering
profession. The engineer volunteer and the classroom teacher work
together to determine the level of volunteer involvement needed
to make the program successful.
|
|
A World
in Motion Materials
AWIM
Participants
The Texas
Section of the Society of Automotive
Engineers International has taken the lead in publicizing the
AWIM program to schools throughout Texas. The Institute for Diversity
in Engineering and Society supports the local teacher in the use
of the AWIM materials.
IDEAS
currently supports 89 teachers in 35 schools from eight school districts:
- Dallas
- Denton
- Fort
Worth
- Garland
- Irving
- Lewisville
- Richardson
- Southlake
The
program includes schools in five of the 20 largest school districts
in Texas.
|
Challenge
|
School
Districts
|
Schools
|
Teachers
|
Students
|
|
1
(4th-6th)
|
8
|
19
|
36
|
2331
|
|
2
(7th)
|
4
|
12
|
40
|
3379
|
|
3
(8th)
|
4
|
4
|
13
|
1214
|
|
Totals
|
8
|
35
|
89
|
6924
|
Participants
|
Schools:
|
35
|
|
Teachers:
|
89
|
|
Students:
|
6924
|
|
Volunteers:
|
110
|
Student
Demographics
|
4-6th
Grade:
|
2331
|
Hispanic-American:
|
40%
|
|
7th
Grade:
|
3379
|
African-American:
|
19%
|
|
8th
Grade:
|
1214
|
Anglo:
|
34%
|
|
|
|
Asian-American:
|
5%
|
|
Male:
|
52%
|
American
Indian:
|
1%
|
|
Female:
|
48%
|
Other
non-white:
|
<1%
|
A
World in Motion is a product of the Society
of Automotive Engineers Foundation.
|
