Engineering is part of all things human!
Although I have not finished Chapter 4 yet (Engineering as Hypothesis), I was suddenly struck by what the author is saying. If we make an effort to build something that is well made, with its' future performance in mind, we are making a hypothesis that all of our design elements will perform. We (as humans) are using past knowledge, education, experience and instinct to predict the outcome of our endeavor. Time serves as the experiment, as we wait to see if we were correct. Creation is engineering. The inclusion of the poem "The Deacon's Masterpiece" now seems to have two purposes. Sure it illustrates examples of design and that all designs will fail at their weakest points, but it would also seem to me that the inclusion of the poem itself was part of the "engineering" of the book. The author wants us to understand, so he hypothesizes that the inclusion of the poem will improve the understanding. We are the experiment. His sales records for the book and the various reviews serve as the "data". Suddenly it would seem that ALL human endeavors are engineering. The chef hypothesizes that this food, cooked this way, served in this manner, will be a nourishing and be a source of enjoyment for the diners. The test is the reaction of the diners. The athlete designs workouts that SHOULD improve performance, the Olympics serving as the experiment, and the medals and times being the data. Dance choreography, movies, art, furniture, candy, essays, a good cup of coffee, etc.. all seem to fall into the category of "engineered" now. Can anyone think of an example of human creation (not manufacturing) that would not be engineering?
Doodling?
ReplyDeleteTough one. I'm still thinking...even that is engineered in a way. :)
ReplyDeleteCorbin your post raises an interesting question – having not been schooled in engineering – is one that I've pondered a number of times – What distinguishes engineering from design? Or Said differently, what’s engineering and what’s not?
ReplyDeleteIs it the distinction rooted in the purpose(s) of engineering? Its connection to science? Its methodologies and practices? Something else?
Last summer SCITEC teachers participating in our summer institute had the opportunity to read the following excerpt called What is Engineering Design? (p.38 http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12635&page=38) from the National Academy Press book, Engineering in K-12 Education (available online for no cost). Thoughts about what this description offers to our thinking of engineering?
Lynn- Reading this excerpt helped clarify for me what engineering design is and how it differs from other forms of design. While Petroski uses a number of metaphors for engineering design in his book (taking a trip, writing a poem, etc.), I actually found this explanation more helpful. I think we can give young students a sense of what engineering is all about and easily give them examples of what engineers accomplish in the world, but their "acts of engineering" will only be rough approximations of the actual design process because the specifications and constraints we give them will remain very broad. They do not yet have the knowledge of mathematics or science to closely approximate the work of engineers.
DeleteJudy - glad to know this excerpt helped!
DeleteFalling back on Merriam-Webster, engineering is, "the application of science and mathematics by which the properties of matter and the sources of energy in nature are made useful to people." For me, it really is the application of science and math that distinguishes engineering from the many other forms of problem solving and creating. Perhaps if only to avoid having too many synonyms in the world - we already have the words create, design, and solve. By the time the engineering is done (which for the most part is paper and pencil (or keyboard and monitor)), the engineer is pretty darn confident that his or her solution will work. This is due to our being able to rely on centuries of experience by thousands of scientists, mathematicians, engineers, builders, tinkerers, etc. I think in the same way that art-ing is very difficult to define, but often comes down to a discussion of intent and process, engineering is best defined through its process rather than its result.
ReplyDeleteI am struggling with 2 thoughts. One is defining the role for what engineering is in the adult world. The second being what is engineering to a second grader? Process, purpose and practices seem to be important in both areas.
ReplyDeleteKathy,
DeleteI teach 2nd grade, and this year we asked students to respond to the question,"What is an engineer?"
The drawing and written responses were precious,many drew pictures of train engines, with the engineer inside, pulling the bell, a few were drawings of auto mechanics.
What should engineering be to a second grader? What should be taught is still on the drawing board?
ENN - Yes! Dictionary definitions are great and my Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary (paper, not pixels) pretty much matches yours for engineering. I think the confusion comes from the word engineer (both as verb and as noun) which can have several meanings. For the noun form, one definition states "a person who is trained in or follows as a profession a branch of engineering", but there is also this definition: "a person who carries through an enterprise by skillful or artful contrivance"...talk about broad! The verb definitions for engineer are similar: "to lay out, construct, or manage as an engineer" or "to contrive or plan out usually with more or less subtle skill and craft".
ReplyDeleteIsn't language wonderful?! I really think we need to use our purpose as a guide in shaping our definition. Why do we want to teach little kids about engineering? Can we get a list going? Or can someone point me to a list in the STEM resources somewhere that answers that question?
You really got me thinking Corbin! As a musician, I might say that performing music is a human endeavor that is creating, but not engineering. A musician usually takes a piece that has been "engineered" by someone else and interprets it based on their own training and passion. Could it be looked at though, as the written music as being the design and the performance as being that which has been engineered?
ReplyDeleteIf you combine this thread with the Hypothesis thread, you can make an argument that the writing of the music is the design with the hypothesis that others can read, and make sense of the music so that others appreciate the piece. The test would be playing the piece and the data being how the music is appreciated.
DeleteKathy - I missed your comment earlier "what is engineering to a second grader?" Such a good question and one that is unfolding.
ReplyDeleteWe can gain some insight to by reviewing the following documents:
A Framework for K-12 Science Education (http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13165), in particular the sections on the Science and Engineering Practices (Dimension 1) and Disciplinary Core Ideas - Engineering, Technology and Applications of Science (Dimension 3). While you won't find a list specific to Grade 2, these sections provide excellent descriptions of the "progression" of engineering ideas across K-12.
Benchmarks for Science Literacy (www.project2061.org/publications/bsl/online/index.php?home=true) is another resource that will give you the flavor of engineering in the elementary grades. Two areas to look at in this resource are "The Nature of Technology" and "The Designed World."
Lastly, if you haven't looked at our own Maine Learning Results under B2 "Skills and Traits of Technological Design" and C2 "Understandings About Science and Technology," these can provide guidance as well.
What about accidental discoveries, post its?
ReplyDeleteYou are posing a very interesting question.