The middle grades curriculum is designed to give students an overview of technology-related fields and processes. Because engineers use technology to solve problems, the curriculum is "activity-oriented" and covers many topics in engineering and engineering technology.

Gateway To Technology contains five nine-week units, each of which is developed specifically for grades six through eight. Each is an independent unit but it is recommended that they be taught in the following order:

• Design and Modeling
• The Magic of Electrons
• The Science of Technology
• Automation and Robotics
• Flight and Space

A team of technology teachers in secondary schools, administrators, and engineering educators at colleges and universities developed Gateway To Technology, which incorporates the most recent standards for mathematics, science and technology with the latest teaching methods. A primary objective was to produce a technology curriculum for middle school students that engage them in appropriate and authentic projects using real "industry-standard" technology tools.

The early results have been promising. Students are learning, and teachers are pleased with students’ work and excitement. The curriculum is being reviewed continually by all teachers who use it with their students.

Each school district will have to decide the best way to incorporate these units into its overall program. Schools are encouraged to offer the first unit to sixth-graders in order to generate interest among many students before cultural influences draw them away from technology.

Gateway To Technology aims to improve students’ knowledge and understanding of technology and their skills in using it. It also focuses teachers’ attention on particularly effective teaching methods and on social considerations.

The curriculum:

• provides instruction in the specific skills and concepts related to each unit;
• promotes an understanding of the field of technology, including its evolving nature, positive and negative effects on our society, and career opportunities;
• coincides with the latest standards for math, science and technology;
• challenges students at all levels of ability;
• emphasizes a project-based approach to learning - learning by doing, a hands-on approach that excites students;
• appeals to boys and girls of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds;
• provides opportunities for self-directed and extended learning activities; and
• promotes students’ abilities to communicate and work together, and relates technology to students’ daily lives.

A critical component of Project Lead The Way^® is its teacher professional development model, which provides intensive and comprehensive instruction. Significant attention is paid to assessing teachers’ readiness for training. Teachers who may not be ready for the core training (provided by PLTW, Inc. during a summer institute) receive suggestions on how they can acquire the background knowledge they need.

Another key to the program’s success is awareness. PLTW, Inc. keeps school counselors informed about the program’s benefit, as well as various technology jobs and careers available to graduates of high school. PLTW, Inc. holds a conference specifically for guidance counselors and provides them with materials, such as brochures and videos, to use with students and their parents.

PLTW, Inc. forms partnerships among public schools, higher education and the private sector to increase the quantity and quality of students who graduate in engineering and engineering technology. Experienced educators in technology at participating colleges and universities are available to help schools implement Project Lead The Way ^®.

PLTW, Inc. makes its curriculum materials for middle grades and high schools available to partner schools at no cost and provides opportunities for professional development for teachers and counselors. In return, schools must provide equipment that meets PLTW, Inc. specifications, must implement a five-course sequence within four years at the high school level and send staff for professional development training.

If you have any questions about PLTW, Inc. or the Southern Regional Education Board’s involvement in the engineering curriculum, please call Carolyn Helm at (706) 499-5011, or e-mail her at carolyn.helm@sreb.org or call Kenneth Mason at (404) 875-9211 or e-mail him at kenneth.mason@sreb.org. You can also visit the Project Lead The Way Web site at www.pltw.org. 

For more information please contact Carolyn Helm, carolyn.helm@sreb.org or Kenneth Mason, kenneth.mason@sreb.org.