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Teaching engineering concepts through socially relevant contexts: Serving the homeless with smart tiny homes

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In this article, we discuss how students can work in an engineering design setting to explore potential solutions for combatting veteran homelessness through the creation of small, scale-model “tiny homes” (Figures 1 and 2). This lesson, which integrates a socially relevant context, will provide students the opportunity to connect with core engineering concepts and practices while designing/creating innovative solutions for issues prevalent within their communities.
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24 technology and engineering teacher April 2019
excelling in engineering
Introduction
There is a seldom-discussed crisis taking place within many
communities across the nation. On a single night in 2017,
more than 550,000 individuals were experiencing homeless-
ness, and more than one-third of these individuals were in
unsheltered locations such as abandoned buildings, under
bridges, or in parks (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development, 2017). Although ambitious eorts have been
made on the national and state level to combat this issue,
homelessness increased for the first time in seven years in
2017 (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,
2017).
Each year the Department of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment (HUD) releases an Annual Homeless Assessment
Report that provides an estimate of the number of people
experiencing homelessness (in sheltered and unsheltered
situations). The report also provides estimates for spe-
cific homeless populations such as
people experiencing chronic home-
lessness or homeless veterans. For
example, on a single night in January
2017, more than 40,000 veterans
were experiencing homelessness,
accounting for over nine percent of
all homeless adults (U.S. Depart-
ment of Housing and Urban Devel-
by
Scott R.
Bartholomew,
Vanessa
Santana, and
Greg J. Strimel,
with smart tiny homes
serving the homeless
teaching engineering concepts
through socially relevant contexts:
Tiny homes, which represent a potentially low-cost and self-sustaining approach
to housing, may be one viable solution for addressing homelessness concerns.
April 2019 technology and engineering teacher 25
excelling in engineering
opment, 2017). Additionally, there was a two-percent increase in
the number of homeless veterans between 2016 and 2017, which
is the first time this population has increased since 2010 (U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2017). Donovan
& Shinseki (2013) point out that, “significant economic and moral
dimensions of homelessness come into sharper focus when
those living on our streets once defended our nation.” Among
individuals (those without children or spouses) living below the
poverty line, individual veterans are over twice as likely as indi-
vidual nonveteran adults to be homeless. To make matters worse,
approximately 1.4 million additional veterans are considered at
risk of homelessness due to circumstances such as poverty and
poor living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing
(National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, n.d.).
Although it seems there has always been some level of a
homeless population in the United States, the perceptions,
attitudes, and available services have varied greatly over time
(National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,
2018). Throughout the twentieth century, for example, change
was sought, and eorts were made at multiple levels to aid the
growing population of homeless individuals. Currently, HUD
works with state and local partners in the hopes of preventing
and ending homelessness across the nation. These eorts have
included four goals: (1) prevent and end chronic homelessness,
(2) prevent and end homelessness among veterans, (3) prevent
and end homelessness for families, youth, and children, and (4)
set a path to ending all types of homelessness (U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development, 2017).
Other Federal and National initiatives have also aided in the de-
cline of homelessness over time. These include The GI Bill (Pub-
lic Law 78-346), Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans (DCHV),
Housing First Models, Supportive Services for Veteran Families
(SSVF), and the Housing and Urban Development Veterans Af-
fairs Supportive Housing (HUDVASH) programs (Department of
Veterans Aairs Oice of Inspector General, 2012). Other more
recent eorts, such as those by local nonprofits (e.g., Veterans
Community Project), have also contributed great eorts through
their own missions. However, despite the positive outcomes from
these eorts, much remains to be done to eectively assist in
combating homelessness among veterans and other populations
(Donovan & Shinseki, 2013).
In this article, we discuss how students can work in an engineer-
ing design setting to explore potential solutions for combatting
veteran homelessness through the creation of small, scale-model
“tiny homes” (Figures 1 and 2). This lesson, which integrates a
socially relevant context, will provide students the opportunity to
connect with core engineering concepts and practices while de-
signing/creating innovative solutions for issues prevalent within
their communities.
The Tiny Home Movement
The tiny home movement has been covered by news and media
outlets across the nation (Folk, 2018; Wilkinson, 2011; Patel, 2015)
as demand for smaller and more aordable living alternatives
continues to grow (Bahney, 2018). This social and architectural
movement is a growing real estate trend, advocating for “simple
living” within small homes (Tiny Home Builders, n.d.). Outside
of a desire for a simplification in lifestyle, a variety of factors
has also contributed to this movement, such as “financial and
emotional freedom, a greener lifestyle, [and] the satisfaction of
building one’s own refuge.” (Patel, 2015).
Tiny homes can be built on a foundation or on wheels (Tiny
Home Builders, n.d.) and are typically anywhere between 65
and 400 square feet (Pino, n.d.). Many tiny homes are built on a
trailer for increased mobility (Kilman, 2016). Typically, a tiny home
is no larger than 8 by 16 feet, and includes an additional loft
area, resulting in a total space of approximately 128 square feet
(Murphy, 2014). To put the comparative size of these structures
into perspective, the 2017 Census reported the median size of a
single-family home in the United States was 2,426 square feet
(U.S. Department of Commerce, n.d.).
Regardless of size, most tiny homes include private cooking facil-
ities, a bathroom with full-sized showers and toilets, a great room
for living space, and a sleeping area (Kilman, 2016). Tiny homes,
which represent a potentially-low cost and self-sustaining ap-
proach to housing, may be one viable solution for addressing
homelessness concerns, as they are lauded as oering a “smaller
environmental footprint, greater financial freedom, and ultimately
a self-suicient life” (The Tiny Life, n.d.). Several current initia-
tives, such as Occupy Madison Village (Occupy Madison, Inc.,
n.d.), Veterans Community Project (Veterans Community Project,
n.d.), and Dignity Village (Dignity Village, n.d.) are just a few of
Figure 1. Student’s physical tiny home prototype.
26 technology and engineering teacher April 2019
excelling in engineering
the examples of projects using tiny homes as a means of housing
the homeless and addressing homelessness within communities.
Engineering Classroom Connections
Figure 6, Table 1, and Table 2 (located at www.iteea.org/
TETApr19AEEE.aspx) present a classroom design challenge
and an associated lesson designed to integrate STEM content
through the authentic and culturally relevant context of a national
issue, veteran homelessness. Homelessness is a prevalent issue
within many communities, and as such, may be a problem that is
relatable and engaging to students. Additionally, connections be-
tween homelessness and veterans may further engage students
as they work towards designing, modeling, and testing poten-
tially viable solutions to this problem. In the lesson, students are
engaged in designing, representing, building, and automating
a model tiny home (Figures 3-5). We believe this lesson may
also provide a way to relate real-world problems to a multitude
of engineering or technical concepts, such as those outlined in
the Advancing Excellence in P-12 Engineering Education (AEEE)
project (International Technology and Engineering Educators
Association [ITEEA], n.d.) for students who are interested in more
social constructs. It is our hope that teachers will work towards
providing culturally situated contexts and relevant social issues
for students such as the lesson plan included here.
Conclusion
Designing, building, and automating tiny homes provides a
challenging and rewarding opportunity for students to engage
in an activity with close-to-home connections. The authors’
experience suggests that students enjoyed framing this activity
in the context of socially relevant issues experienced by those
in their community. Connections to challenges faced by home-
less veterans provided added impetus and enriched context as
students worked to address the classroom challenge. Further,
this project and lesson plan were seen as both perplexing and
enjoyable by students, who were eager to show o their designs
and talk about how they overcame various setbacks, obstacles,
and diiculties along the way. An emphasis on these types of
challenging activities with socially-relevant connections may
serve to prepare students for future opportunities and open their
eyes to often unseen diiculties faced by others.
References
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getting bigger. CNN Business. Retrieved from www.cnn.
com/2018/11/02/success/tiny-homes/index.html
Department of Veterans Aairs, Oice of Inspector General.
(2012). Homeless incidence and risk factors for becoming
homeless in veterans (Rep. No. 11-03428-173). Retrieved from
www.va.gov/oig/pubs/VAOIG-11-03428-173.pdf
Dignity Village. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://dignityvillage.org/
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integrator. Journal of STEM Teacher Education, 50(1), 8.
International Technology and Engineering Educators Association
(ITEEA). (2018). Advancing Excellence in P-12 Engineering
Figure 3. Student’s digital floor plan. Figure 4. Student’s digital prototype. Figure 5. Student’s digital prototype.
Figure 2. Student’s programmed smart tiny home.
April 2019 technology and engineering teacher 27
excelling in engineering
Education (AEEE). Retrieved from www.iteea.org/
Activities/2142/AEEE_P12.aspx
Kilman, C. (2016). Small house, big impact: The eect of tiny
houses on community and environment. Small, 2. Retrieved
from https://apps.carleton.edu/ujhs/assets/charlie_kilman_
tinyhouses__4_.pdf
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Scott Bartholomew, Ph.D., is a former middle
school TEE teacher and an assistant professor
of Engineering & Technology Teacher Educa-
tion at Purdue University. He can be reached
at sbartho@purdue.edu.
Vanessa Santana is an undergraduate research assistant in
Engineering/Technology Teacher Education at Purdue University,
West Lafayette, IN.
Greg J. Strimel, Ph.D., is an assistant profes-
sor of technology leadership and innovation at
Purdue University. He also serves as a National
Competition Developer for TEAMS. He can be
reached at gstrimel@purdue.edu.
This is a refereed article.
NOTE: The following additional resources associated with
this article are posted on the ITEEA website at:
www.iteea.org/TETApr19AEEE.aspx
Figure 6. Smart Tiny Home Assignment and Rubric
Table 1. SMART Tiny Homes Serving the Homeless – Lesson
Overview
Table 2. SMART Tiny Homes Serving the Homeless – Lesson
Plan
Ad Index
Goodheart-Willcox ...................................................................38
Kelvin ......................................................................................... 40
Mastercam .................................................................................39
North Carolina State University ............................................37
Article
The Kenton Women’s Village is the first city-sponsored pod village for people experiencing homelessness in Portland, Oregon. The village features individual sleeping pods and shared common facilities, and is managed by a local nonprofit organization. Villages have historically been self-governed communities borne of grassroots activism but have become increasingly of interest to nonprofits and municipalities seeking to address homelessness. As the village model proliferates throughout the United States, significant research that centers villager experience to inform the design, operations, and governance structures of future villages is needed. These interviews with the residents of Kenton Women’s Village revealed several themes around villagers’ experiences and perceptions of their pods, life in the village, and the surrounding community. This initial exploration contributes to our understanding of the managed pod village model and may inform the design of future villages as well as research with other pod villages across the Portland metro area.
Demand for tiny homes is getting bigger. CNN Business. Retrieved from www.cnn. com/2018/11/02/success/tiny-homes/index.html Department of Veterans Affairs
  • A Bahney
Bahney, A. (2018, November 2). Demand for tiny homes is getting bigger. CNN Business. Retrieved from www.cnn. com/2018/11/02/success/tiny-homes/index.html Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General. (2012). Homeless incidence and risk factors for becoming homeless in veterans (Rep. No. 11-03428-173). Retrieved from www.va.gov/oig/pubs/VAOIG-11-03428-173.pdf Dignity Village. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://dignityvillage.org/
Can the 'tiny house movement' last? The Ecologist
  • E Folk
Folk, E. (2018, September 3). Can the 'tiny house movement' last? The Ecologist. Retrieved from https://theecologist.org/2018/ sep/03/can-tiny-house-movement-last
Advancing Excellence in P-12 Engineering Education (AEEE)
  • M Grubbs
  • G Strimel
Grubbs, M. & Strimel, G. (2015). Engineering design: The great integrator. Journal of STEM Teacher Education, 50(1), 8. International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA). (2018). Advancing Excellence in P-12 Engineering Education (AEEE). Retrieved from www.iteea.org/ Activities/2142/AEEE_P12.aspx
Small house, big impact: The effect of tiny houses on community and environment. Small, 2
  • C Kilman
Kilman, C. (2016). Small house, big impact: The effect of tiny houses on community and environment. Small, 2. Retrieved from https://apps.carleton.edu/ujhs/assets/charlie_kilman_ tinyhouses__4_.pdf
Tiny houses as appropriate technology
  • M Murphy
Murphy, M. (2014). Tiny houses as appropriate technology. Communities(165), 54-59.
Occupy Madison, Inc. Retrieved from www
  • Volunteeryourtime
VOLUNTEERyourTIME.org. (n.d.). Occupy Madison, Inc. Retrieved from www.volunteeryourtime.org/agency/ detail/?agency_id=86500
Tiny house, big benefits: Freedom from a mortgage and worries-and stuff. The Washington Post
  • N Patel
Patel, N. (2015, June 25). Tiny house, big benefits: Freedom from a mortgage and worries-and stuff. The Washington Post. Retrieved from www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/ tiny-house-big-benefitsfreedom-from-a-mortgage--andstuff/2015/06/23/f8f706f0-0acc-11e5-9e39-0db921c47b93_ story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.730dbe939921
Tiny house movement: Affordable housing revolution
  • A Pino
Pino, A. (n.d). Tiny house movement: Affordable housing revolution. Retrieved from https://tinyhousetalk.com/tiny-housemovement/
Let's get small. The New Yorker. Retrieved from www
  • A Wilkinson
Wilkinson, A. (2011, July 25). Let's get small. The New Yorker. Retrieved from www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/07/25/ lets-get-small