Thinking Spatially about the Universe- A Physical and Virtual Laboratory for Middle School Science

对宇宙的空间思考——中学科学的物理和虚拟实验室

• 批准号: 1502798
• 负责人: Philip Sadler
• 金额: $ 14.98万
• 依托单位: Smithsonian Institution Astrophysical Observatory
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-07-01 至 2020-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1502798&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Thinking; Spatially; about; Universe; Physical

Critical breakthroughs in science (e.g., Einstein's Theory of General Relativity, and Watson & Crick's discovery of the structure of DNA), originated with those scientists' ability to think spatially, and research has shown that spatial ability correlates strongly with likelihood of entering a career in STEM. This project will develop and study three week-long middle school lab units designed to teach spatial abilities using a blend of physical and virtual (computer-based) models. "ThinkSpace" labs will help students explore 3-dimensional astronomical phenomena (moon phases and eclipses; planetary systems around stars other than the Sun; and celestial motions within the broader universe) in ways that will support both understanding of these topics and a more general spatial ability. Students will learn both through direct work with the lab unit interface and through succeeding discussions with their peers. The research program will determine which elements in the labs best promote both spatial skills and understanding of core ideas in astronomy; and how then to optimize interactive dynamic visualizations toward these ends. Virtual models of the sky and universe will be created using WorldWide Telescope, a free visualization tool that runs on desktop computers, tablets, and mobile devices. The ThinkSpace lab materials will be available at no cost on popular curriculum-sharing sites, including PBS Learning Media and BetterLesson.The ThinkSpace team will address two main Research Questions: 1) How can spatial tasks that blend physical and virtual models be embedded into a STEM curriculum in ways that lead to significant improvements in spatial thinking? and 2) How can practitioners optimize design of interactive, dynamic visualizations for teaching spatially complex concepts? The first year of the study will examine two of the lab units with four teachers and about 320 students. The second year of the study will be similar. The third year of the study will test all three lab units in 10 classrooms. Over this study, each week-long ThinkSpace Lab will be formatively tested, using pre/post written assessments of astronomy content and spatial thinking; pre/post interviews with students; and in-class video of students using the lab activities. Scaffolded learning designs will support students in making connections between different spatial views of the phenomena, and will guide them to construct explanations and argue from evidence about how various phenomena (e.g. moon phases) arise in the real Universe, as Next Generation Science Standards demand. The impact of the ThinkSpace labs will be felt far beyond astronomy because the learning models being tested can transfer to other fields where spatial models are critical, and findings on optimization of dynamic visualizations can help to inform instructional design in the age of online learning. The Discovery Research K-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools (RMTs). Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects.

科学方面的批判性突破（例如，爱因斯坦的一般相对论理论，沃森与克里克（Watson＆Crick）对DNA结构的发现）起源于那些科学家的空间思考能力，研究表明，空间能力与在STEM中进入职业的可能性密切相关。 该项目将开发和研究为期三周的中学实验室单元，旨在使用物理和虚拟（基于计算机）模型的融合来教授空间能力。 “ Thinkspace”实验室将帮助学生探索三维天文现象（月相和日食；太阳以外的其他恒星周围的行星系统；以及更广泛的宇宙中的天体运动），以支持对这些主题和更一般的空间能力的理解。学生将通过与实验室单元界面的直接工作以及与同龄人进行接下来的讨论来学习。研究计划将确定实验室中哪些要素最能促进空间技能和对天文学核心思想的理解。以及如何优化针对这些目的的交互式动态可视化。 天空和宇宙的虚拟模型将使用全球望远镜（一种在台式计算机，平板电脑和移动设备上运行的免费可视化工具）创建。 Thinkspace Lab材料将在流行的课程共享站点（包括PBS学习媒体和Betterlesson）上免费提供。Thinkspace团队将解决两个主要的研究问题：1）如何将融合物理和虚拟模型融合到STEM课程中的空间任务如何以导致空间思维的重大改进的方式？ 2）从业人员如何优化用于教学在空间复杂概念的交互式，动态可视化的设计？ 研究的第一年将与四个老师和大约320名学生一起检查两个实验室单位。研究的第二年将是相似的。研究的第三年将在10个教室中测试所有三个实验室。在这项研究中，使用天文学内容和空间思维的书面评估，将对为期一周的ThinkSpace实验室进行形式上测试；与学生的访谈前/后访谈；以及使用实验室活动的学生的课堂视频。 脚手架的学习设计将支持学生在现象的不同空间观点之间建立联系，并将指导他们构建解释并从关于下一代科学标准在真实宇宙中如何出现各种现象（例如月球阶段）如何出现的证据。 Thinkspace Labs的影响将远远超出天文学，因为所测试的学习模型可以转移到空间模型至关重要的其他领域，并且有关优化动态可视化的发现可以帮助在线学习时代的教学设计。 Discovery Research K-12计划（DRK-12）试图通过研究和开发创新资源，模型和工具（RMTS）的研究和开发，以显着增强PreK-12学生和教师的科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）的学习和教学。 DRK-12计划中的项目基于STEM教育和先前的研发工作的基础研究，这些研究为拟议项目提供了理论和经验的理由。