Encouraging Engineering Students To Become Teachers

A great divide exists between the dominance of technology in society and its nearly total eclipse as a topic of general study. Technology as a subject is basically non-existent in elementary education, and reserved largely for specialized students in the secondary grades. Although educational reformers and standards writers generally recognize the importance of technology in the curriculum, progress has been very slow in implementing programs in the schools. A major impediment is the lack of qualified technology teachers, or even of teacher education programs which could develop the next generation. This paper proposes a solution to this dilemma: preparing and certifying engineering students for careers in K-12 education. It describes a pilot project at the City College of New York (CCNY) which is encouraging engineering students to consider teaching as career. Finally, the paper outlines efforts to develop new pathways to teacher certification designed specifically for recent engineering graduates, as well as engineers returning from industry to education.