Transformative Program: Engineering Mindsets / STEM Handoffs and Transitions
Facilitators: Maud Abeel, Associate Director, Jobs for the Future
Description: Over two 75-minute sessions with Jobs for the Future (JFF), you’ll learn how to use JFF’s free Possible Futures (PF) Engineering and Design curriculum unit to introduce students to careers that require an engineering mindset. How? The interactive lessons for grades 6-10 have students assume the role of professionals in the engineering field as they learn to prototype, iterate, and innovate. Thinking as young professionals, students are introduced to the design process, develop problem-solving and research skills, and learn to foster an engineering and growth mindset. JFF, a national nonprofit aimed at promoting economic advancement for all, designed the Possible Futures curriculum with a focus on STEM to help rethink how youth start to explore college and career options and to prepare them to make meaningful decisions about their future. Get ready for interactive sessions that are designed to be a supportive learning community. You will be introduced to the 20-lesson unit and do some deep dives into lessons that use the engineering and design process to solve real-world problems. Participants will walk away with the knowledge and strategies they need to make the PF Engineering and Design unit work for their program.
Audience: These two sessions are for program staff (i.e. directors, STEM specialists, and facilitators) working with students in middle and high school.