Board # 67 : Culturally-Relevant Engineering Design Curriculum for the Navajo Nation

Abstract

-developed the STEAM Labs TM program to engage middle and high school students in learning science, technology, engineering, arts, and math concepts through designing and building chain reaction machines. He founded and led teams to two collegiate Rube Goldberg Machine Contest national championships, and has appeared on many TV shows (including Modern Marvels on The History Channel and Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC) and a movie with his chain reaction machines. He serves on the Board of the i.d.e.a. Museum in Mesa, AZ, and worked as a behind-the scenes engineer for season 3 of the PBS engineering design reality TV show Design Squad. He also held the Guinness World Record for the largest number of steps -125 -in a working Rube Goldberg machine.Dr. Kalvin White, Department of Dine Education, Navajo Nation Kalvin White, Ph.D. is from White Cone, Arizona. He earned his doctorate in Counseling Psychology in 1998 from the University of Utah. Dr. White is currently employed with the Office of Dine Science, Math, and Technology within the Department of Dine Education under the Executive Branch of the Navajo Nation Government. Dr. White was the Principal Investigator of the Navajo Nation Rural Systemic Initiative. In 1998 the Navajo Nation received a National Science Foundation grant with the charge to close the achievement gap that exists on the Navajo Nation between Navajo and non-Navajo students in math and science. The NN-RSI documented the closing of the achievement gap at the end of the grant award August 2005. Through the efforts of the NN-RSI the Navajo Nation has sustained the NN-RSI with Navajo Nation funds as the Office of Dine Science, Math and Technology. As such, Dr. White and the staff of the Dine Science, Math, and Technology continue to advance the systemic initiatives within the Navajo Nation. Ieshya K Anderson, Arizona State UniversityIeshya Anderson is Naakétł'áhí (Tohono O'odham), born for Tł'ááshchí'í. Her cheii is Naakétł'áhí and her nálí is Tódích'íi'nii. Ieshya graduated from Arizona State University, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, emphasis in electrical systems. She is pursuing her PhD in Engineering Education Systems and Design at Arizona State University. Ieshya also continues to work with Dr. Shawn Jordan to develop engineering design curricula for middle school students on the Navajo reservation and facilitates Dr. Jordan's STEAM Machines TM outreach camps across the Navajo Nation with the ambition to expand to Tohono O'odham Nation. Work in Progress: Culturally-Relevant Engineering Design Curriculum for the Navajo NationThe mission of this research is to develop a theory of culturally-contextualized engineering design curricula and assessment tools for Navajo middle school students, grounded in a study of how Navajo students and Navajo professionals experience, understand, and apply engineering design in the context of their culture, community, and society. This foundation will support future educational innovations and illuminate pathways for Na...

Learning from the experiences of Navajo engineers: Looking toward the development of a culturally responsive engineering curriculum

“…Just as there is a legacy of cross‐cultural studies in science education, many additional studies are needed in the context of engineering for cross‐cultural advancements. Phenomenographic methods offer tangible results that can be mapped to curriculum and affect community impact, just as they were done in this study (Jordan, ; Jordan et al, ; Jordan, Betoney, Pangan, Anderson, & Fernandez, ; Meadows et al, ).…”

“…The map of the intersection of Navajo culture and engineering design and practice, built from the perspectives of Navajo engineers, advances new ideas and informs the engineering education community about connections between culture and engineering design and practice. The map of these connections, based upon the experiences of Navajo engineers, provides a foundation for the development of culturally responsive engineering design curricula for K‐12 classrooms in the Navajo Nation (Jordan, ; Jordan et al, ; Jordan et al, ; Meadows et al, ). By designing engineering curricula through a lens of border‐crossing, we can actively promote individual enculturation so that students of all cultural backgrounds can connect with engineering in a way that is uniquely theirs.…”