Within year one, we noticed that our students were willing to show more perseverance to solve problems than they had previously. We noticed that our students were able to work more collaboratively and that many times our students were the ones with the solution, not just the teachers. We also know that when our students leave Darnaby, they are more interested in pursuing coursework related to STEM career pathways.

I am amazed to see how engaged all of the students are when they are doing a PLTW module. Students are able to think like an engineer at a very young age. It is very gratifying to see the students using problem-solving skills and collaborating on their own. They learn how to work together and create a design that is the best solution to a problem, even if it isn’t their own idea. Students realize that their first idea might not always work, but they can keep going back to make changes. They are able to compare multiple solutions to a problem and select one to develop collaboratively. … It is amazing what these young kids are doing!

One of the things we really like about the curriculum is how developmentally appropriate it is for kids. It capitalizes on children’s own wonder and curiosity and draws them into the learning process. We’re giving them a firm foundation. We’re giving them the technology and resources they need. But the students are constructing their own knowledge, and there’s a strong ownership and strong engagement as a result of that

Thanks to Project Lead The Way, I have students who leave elementary school demanding more engineering classes at the next level. I have students who say they’ve changed their mind about their future, and now they want to be an engineer. Without PLTW, engineering would still be a foreign concept to my students. The opportunities they’ve been given have now made this a viable pathway for them and their future