Engineers have long been thought of as math and science wizards, able to do calculations with little to no mistakes. Often times, this makes the career daunting for younger kids.

Larry Genalo, a retired Iowa State professor, is reinforcing the idea that it is okay to fail in the minds of elementary and middle school kids.

A program in the School of Education called “Toying with Technology” teaches future teachers how to instruct engineering to kids that don’t know how to do any complex math.

Engineering may seem challenging to the typical middle or high school student, but Genalo is aiming to change that.

Instead of embedding more math and science into the curriculum, “Toying with Technology” was created to help teachers integrate engineering type problems into the math and science standards which were increased last year by the Next Generation Science Standards.

These new standards place a higher emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math in the elementary curriculum.

Genalo began the program in 1996 when he applied for a grant with the Miller Faculty Fellowship, which teachers apply for to kick-start new programs at Iowa State. The program was first offered at Iowa State in 1997. 

The kids in the classroom do a simple version of robotics using Legos controlled by a microcomputer. The students can program the microcomputer to perform different tasks. The robotics are intended to simulate real-world electronics, such as elevators and garage door openers, on a very basic level.

“The program teaches children that it’s okay to fail,” said Kristina Tank, one of the professors taking over the program. “The program is developed as an outreach to preservice teachers.”

The outreach taught future teachers not only the importance of these science and problem solving classes but also how to teach them effectively.

Teachers at the elementary and middle school level rarely have an engineering background. This can make teaching engineering intimidating, even for experienced teachers.

The program also allows preservice teachers to work with kids in class. Students from elementary schools in the area will come to Iowa State to work with the robotics. 

Molly Goodsite, a senior in elementary education, described the program as “teaching kids that it’s okay to mess up, then making something better.”

Goodsite and Sam Ronan, a senior in elementary education, said that the program helped prepare them to to teach the new science standards in different ways.

Although they may not use everything they learned in the class, it was a good way to introduce them to how to teach about engineering in the classroom. 

One of the projects Goodsite and Ronan had was to develop a curriculum for elementary kids. The curriculum was meant to be taught to K-6 grade kids, and potentially was used in an actual classroom. 

Preservice teachers will also get the opportunity to travel to elementary schools for a month, two times a week, to come and guest teach in a classroom.

Genalo believes if the program reaches 30 future teachers a semester, then those teachers will be able to spread ‘Toying with Technology” throughout their school and faculty.

This means the program will grow exponentially in the coming years.