Innovators Tribe - Think Like An Engineer - A Review

"Hey sweetie, how would you like to learn how to think like an engineer ?", I asked my daughter. "The Crew has a review for us from Innovators Tribe ." As my 12 year old shrieked in excitement,  jumping up and down, I took it as a sign that yes, she would definitely be interested. She then flew to my side, looking over my shoulder at the computer, to see what she might be learning. We received a 2 year subscription to this online course for 6th - 12th graders, and yes, we were eager to get started. So, let's talk about engineering!

To start with, do you know what an engineer does? We've all heard of them of course, but what does a career in engineering actually look like? The short answer is, engineers do all kinds of things. They aren't nailed down to one area. Using technology in design and applied science, they create, and they troubleshoot. Now, what does that look like in this course? Think Like An Engineer is a self paced, interactive  program that spans across 6th -12th grades. As a parent, you can relax, because the teaching is all done for you. The lessons are engaging and fun. They are simple to follow, with prompts available to help the younger side of the targeted spectrum. It will tell you what you'll be covering for that lesson, the time it will take, and what and where to go from there when completed. Downloadable journals are included. Print them out before the lessons for your student can work along with the online instructor. 

The first journal, slightly manhandled from trekking it around as she works

Getting started with the course (and a little breakfast doesn't hurt)

Throughout the course, there is a good mix of teaching time and various "challenge activities". These are hands on projects where your student will design and generally figure out ways to create structures. I'll show you a few of those examples shortly. First, here is the general overview of material that is covered:

                                                     1.) Introduction and welcome to Engineering

                             2.) Introduction to 3D Design

          3.) Rollercoasters

4.) Bridges

                  5.) Nano Engineering

                                6.) Thinking Like An engineer

Once you reach the 3D Design section, you'll have the opportunity to download CAD software. I was impressed with the support and help offered by this course. They walked us through it, and we got it done smoothly and easily. And I must say, it really is cool software. But the best part of it is that my daughter (having had wonderful assistance from the instructors throughout the introduction of it) was able to walk me through what she has been learning. She is excited about engineering, and I love it! It's not a drudgery, and the fact that she can teach it back displays its effectiveness. And the hands on activities solidify the concepts.

This journal walks the student through the CAD set up process, breaking down the steps

That provides the gist, if you will, of Innovators Tribe  Think Like An Engineer . Let me show you some of the design challenges that my daughter has worked on. This first on required her to use only 4 sheets of paper and 2 feet of masking tape, and construct a self standing tower. After a couple of attempts, and maybe, just maybe a teensy bit of advice from Dad, she did it!

Next up, again, using paper, tape, and making sure to create some kind of stabilizing support, the object was to make a paper structure that would hold as many books as possible.

Our next design challenge will be creating a water filtration system. That one looks to be pretty cool too, and we're looking forward to it.

What do we think? Well, at 12 years old, and in the 7th grade, my daughter is on the younger end of the age range for this course. That hasn't made a difference in her enthusiasm, though. She's been working on this for one to two days a week on average. I haven't had to remind her either, she enjoys the program, and gets right to work. We had one or two days where the video was glitchy, and wouldn't play. I contacted support, and received an immediate response, suggesting various solutions, and then a follow up email. I'm impressed with that kind of customer service. As we prepare for high school , I appreciate the roughly 30 hours of teaching that this course provides my daughter (that would be 1/4 credit). I also like the way that Innovators Tribe Think Like An Engineer is teaching my daughter new ways to approach various challenges. She's learning fresh approaches to problem solving. How could I not approve of that? Please, check them out. I'll bet that you like them too.

Ages: 6th-12th grades
Price: $149.00 , but get it on sale now for $96.00

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