We propose a three-year plan to develop a new classroom model in mathematics education. It will be focussed at the 11th and 12th grade levels and at the community college level for engineering technology students preparing to enter the manufacturing workforce. Students will be taught the same powerful problem-solving strategies that are used in the manufacturing industry and will solve these problems by developing critical thinking skills and using multimedia and interactive technology in networked collaborative learning environments. Students will learn to develop solutions to real problems in a high technology virtual workplace-the classroom. Through partnerships with industry, universities, community colleges, and high schools, new models of apprenticeships and internships combining the classroom with the workplace will be developed using full motion video conferencing. Colleges of Education at universities in cooperation with the manufacturing industry and non-profit technology institutions in North Carolina will provide both in-service and pre-service professional development and technical support to high school and community college faculty. To encourage alliances around the nation in restructuring technician education, we will develop a national discourse on innovative instruction in engineering technology. In this new model for technician education, the classroom will become a virtual workplace for students to gain experience and confidence in solving real problems facing engineering technicians in manufacturing, and share experiences on problem-solving strategies used in manufacturing.
