We have curriculum aligned lesson plans for each step of the project for teachers, with scripting and helpful suggestions. All teachers resources are completely optional - so don't worry! They are there to help - but only if you want to use them. Scroll down to download.
Email steps@engineersireland.ie if you have queries about the questions.
The quizzes (the Engineering Personality Quiz and the Congratulations Quiz) are games to introduce and summarise the student's engineering experience.
They are fun for the students and they help us, at Engineers Ireland, understand how the students engaged with engineering.
A panel of STEPS Volunteer Engineers judges the competition.
Entries must be submitted and received by midnight 14th December 2018.
Results will be announced during Engineers Week, with prizes presented at a later date.
Yes! We recommend that the teams have completed Worksheet 1 & 2, and have built their prototype by November 22nd.
If you have been offered a visit from a STEPS Volunteer Engineer, your class must have prepared a presentation (5mins) on their projects in advance of the visit.
The projects will be judged solely on the 3 worksheets submitted. For these you will need only pens and an imagination. However, we strongly recommend that the teams attempt to build a prototype and either attach photographs of the prototype in the final report or draw a picture of themselves building the prototype. We recommend that the prototype is built with materials that are readily available: glue/paper/string from school supplies and recycled materials collected at home. However, it is entirely up to you the teacher or the students how they would like to represent their designs physically.
No problem. Send an email explaining the issue to steps@engineersireland.ie.
On Page 3 of the online application Form you will be asked to tick a box indicating you would like a visit.
Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee a visit for all schools, as we have limited numbers of volunteer engineers.
No problem at all. We have 2 live webinars scheduled for November 4th and 21st, where engineer volunteers will be available to answer any questions and engage with your class.
However, the award is designed so that there is no need for any input from an engineer at all. The projects are student led, and as such the teacher is simply required to facilitate, not instruct.
The Teachers Pack is comprehensive and gives lots of advice and scripting on how to guide the teams. We also advise teachers to ask local engineering firms if they can visit, or parent engineers in the school.
Don't worry! We have lots of helpful guidance on how to facilitate the STEPS Young Engineers Award in the Teachers Pack, including a sample project and suggested lesson plans.
It is your students that do the work - not you!
To assist teachers we have designed suggested lesson plans. There are 5 of these - corresponding to each of the five steps below. They are there to help you, but you free to guide your students through the Project Book in any way you see fit.
We have designed some interactive worksheets to introduce students to engineering and to debrief after the project is complete.