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Saturday, 20 October 2007 |
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 Staff photo/Mary Bargdill
New Bremen High School senior Mike Niekamp receives some suggestions from his teacher, Mike Heuker, while working on a project in Introduction to Engineering.
By MARY BARGDILL
Staff Writer
NEW BREMEN — Thanks to a new curriculum which places an emphasis on problem solving and hands-on learning, students in New Bremen High School are getting a jump start on engineering and technology — with the expectation it will give them an edge in the job market.
The curriculum is offered through the not-for-profit organization Project Lead the Way, which works in conjunction with high schools, colleges, technical schools and industries in the private sector throughout the nation. The program originated in the state of New York nearly a decade ago, and is now offered in more than 1,300 schools in 45 states.
One of its primary goals is to better prepare students who are interested in entering the engineering or technical field, by placing an emphasis on math and science, and introducing students to hands-on problem solving skills. Students are encouraged to work in small groups and use critical thinking to find solutions — just as they would be expected to do in the work place.
“It’s a very good fit for Mercer and Auglaize County, where there are so many manufacturing opportunities,” Superintendent of New Bremen Public Schools Ann Harvey said, adding students in New Bremen have consistently scored well in math and science. “This class takes the math and science and applies it.”
The New Bremen School District received a grant from the Ohio Department of Education for $20,000 to help offset the cost of teacher training, new computers and the Autodesk Inventor computer program.
“We did not have a computer strong enough for the Autodesk Program,” Harvey said. Nearly 40 students, comprised of mostly freshman are taking the course, Introduction to Engineering.
For Thursday’s assignment, Puzzle Design Challenge, each student worked at their own computer recreating a three dimensional puzzle they made out of small wooden cubes that they were assigned to build.
Senior Mike Niekamp, who has been accepted into the University of Cincinnati for the civil engineering program, is taking the course to help him prepare for college. As a freshman, he took Drafting I, and now said he gets as much out of Introduction to Engineering as possible.
“In (drafting) class it would have taken a class period to draw it out,” he said, adding that now it only takes seconds on the computer. “At the college level it’s almost expected to have experience with the software. Just to get a feel for making something is a big step forward. It definitely does help.”
Mike Heuker, who is teaching the course, said he is thrilled with his students’ interest in the class.
“They’re going through the curriculum at a much faster pace than what I originally thought they would,” Heuker said. “They thoroughly enjoy it.”
Heuker said he appreciates the innovation of the new technology and the curriculum’s similarity to the work place.
“It’s more life practical. It’s not just for the kid looking to go into engineering,” Heuker said. “Plus, this is the way the real work place is.”
Heuker has a degree in Industrial Education, and taught traditional shop classes such as photography and drafting for 17 years. In order to teach the new curriculum, he had to undergo an intense two week course through Sinclair Community College in Dayton, during which an entire semester’s worth of curriculum was compressed.
Next year as sophomores, his students will be eligible to take Principles of Engineering, the next course offered in the curriculum.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 24 October 2007 )
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