Engineering, Design & Technology

Course Overview

Institution: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Role: Project Coordinator & Middle School Teacher
Years: 2006–2009 · 90+ students per year · Ages 11–16

Program Description

This was a project-based learning model school integrating engineering, design, and technology for middle school students. The curriculum centered on boat design and construction — students learned drawing, geometry, algebra, planning, and hands-on fabrication using power and woodworking tools.

As curriculum coordinator, I:

• Managed an interdisciplinary team of 10–15 undergraduate interns
• Developed and taught experiential learning methodologies integrating engineering principles with creative design
• Organized 4 major public events per year, each serving 2,000+ community members and employing 120+ student workers and technicians
• Led logistics, community partnerships, local government liaisons, and activity planning

Teaching Philosophy Roots

This was my first real teaching role — and it shaped everything that followed.

The students came from difficult circumstances: poverty, family instability, gang-affected neighborhoods. I learned quickly that content delivery was the easy part. The harder and more important work was active listening, meeting students where they were, and creating an environment where they felt they belonged before they could learn.

Some of those students went on to become professors and teachers themselves. Years later, a few reached out to say I had influenced their path. That is the moment that confirmed teaching was not just something I do — it is who I am.

This program also produced a nationally recognized achievement: our team at Polo Náutico UFRJ designed and built a solar-powered boat that competed internationally and gained national media attention in Brazil and the Netherlands.

Conference Presentation

Drummond, P.A., Rahal, J., & Amorim, F. (2008). Analyses of Different Educational Strategies using Work-based Pedagogy at the Middle-school Colégio de Pescadores in Macaé, RJ. 5º Congresso de Extensão da UFRJ. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.