Interdisciplinary Approaches to Teaching Computational Environmental Science

计算环境科学的跨学科教学方法

基本信息

批准号：
1814001
负责人：
George Barnett
金额：
$ 151.96万
依托单位：
Boston College
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2018
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2018-09-01 至 2023-08-31
项目状态：
已结题

项目摘要

Because of the powerful innovation and application of computing in STEM disciplines, there is an urgent need for real-world, interdisciplinary, and computational preparation of students from the early grades through high school (preK-12). Researchers at Boston College, Iowa State, the University of Colorado Boulder, and the Educational Development Center will train environmental science teachers to use a recent scientific discovery, artificial transparent soil to integrate computational environmental science into their teaching practice. Artificial transparent soil allows for the visualization of roots in living plants and allows scientists, teachers, and students to study root structures and soil ecology on a microscopic level. Mechanically, the artificial soil mimics real soil, supports root structures, holds suspended minerals, can be colonized by microorganisms, and exchanges gases like soil. The project investigators will bring this new computational technology to environmental science teachers in public schools in Massachusetts, Iowa, and Colorado. Teachers will learn how to integrate computational science into their environmental science curriculum and will be immersed in an interdisciplinary training program where they will learn the physics, chemistry, and biological principles underlying artificial transparent soil, while also learning how to program and code micro-electronics and conduct scientific experiments with their students. This project was submitted in response to NSF Dear Colleague Letter: Discovery Research PreK-12: Advancing STEM + Computing (17-149) and is supported by the STEM + Computing Program that advances research and development of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to the integration of computing within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning for preK-12 students in both formal and informal settings. STEM+C supports research on how students learn to think computationally to solve interdisciplinary problems in the STEM fields. The overarching driving question for the research revolves around understanding how and in what ways a supportive professional development ecosystem can be developed that enables teachers to infuse computational science into their teaching that supports their students in conducting scientific research. Specifically, the research team questions are: (1) How do teachers adapt and implement computational science practices when teaching science? (2) How do teachers and the curriculum design help teachers navigate the tensions of infusing computation while also ensuring STEM content and what computational science and scientific practices do teachers utilize in their teaching?, and (3) What are the supports, both in terms of professional development and as a part of the curriculum materials themselves, that need to be provided to teachers to support them in integrating and adapting the program for their classroom? The project team will utilize design-based research approach that will involve classroom observations, interviews with teachers, and surveys to evaluate how and in what ways teachers adapted the materials to their classrooms. The project team aims to develop case studies of teachers across contexts that will serve as the basis for future professional development. The project team will recruit teachers who teach in under-resourced schools, teach youth of color, or teach in schools with a high percentage of underrepresented populations in STEM fields. The project team has existing partnerships with school districts throughout Massachusetts (Boston Public, Waltham, Springfield, and Lawrence), Colorado, and Iowa. The research and evaluation of this program will enable, educators and teachers, to implement best practices regarding the infusion of computational science using a holistic interdisciplinary to STEM instruction. Further, given the limited work, and general lack of computational knowledge amongst the nations' environmental science teachers this work will provide some of the first insights into how to support science teachers to use coding and computation in their classrooms. This work will be shared with a wide range of audiences through public festivals, teacher conferences, and traditional academic research conferences.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

由于计算在STEM学科中的强大创新和应用，因此迫切需要对早期到高中的学生的现实，跨学科和计算准备工作（PreK-12）。爱荷华州波士顿学院的研究人员，科罗拉多大学博尔德大学和教育发展中心将培训环境科学教师使用最近的科学发现，人工透明的土壤，将计算环境科学整合到他们的教学实践中。人造透明的土壤允许在活植物中可视化根，并允许科学家，教师和学生在微观水平上研究根结构和土壤生态学。从机械上讲，人造土壤模仿真实的土壤，支撑根结构，持有悬浮的矿物质，可以通过微生物殖民，并交换像土壤这样的气体。该项目调查人员将将这项新的计算技术带给马萨诸塞州，爱荷华州和科罗拉多州公立学校的环境科学教师。教师将学习如何将计算科学整合到其环境科学课程中，并将沉浸在跨学科培训计划中，在那里他们将学习人工透明土壤的物理，化学和生物学原理，同时还学习如何编程和编码微型电子学并与学生进行科学实验。该项目是针对NSF亲爱的同事信的回应：发现研究PREK-12：进步seg +计算（17-149），并得到STEM +计算计划的支持，该计划的支持，促进了跨学科和跨学科方法的研究和开发，以在科学，技术，工程学，工程学以及数学教学和教学中的跨学科和跨学科的方法中，均可促进计算的整合。 STEM+C支持有关学生如何学习计算思考以解决STEM领域中的跨学科问题的研究。研究的总体驾驶问题围绕着了解如何以及以哪些方式发展支持专业发展生态系统的方式，使教师能够将计算科学注入他们的教学中，从而支持学生进行科学研究。具体来说，研究团队的问题是：（1）教师在教授科学时如何适应和实施计算科学实践？（2）教师和课程设计如何帮助教师在注入计算的紧张局势同时确保词干内容以及教师在教学中使用哪些计算科学和科学实践？以及（3）在专业发展中提供了什么支持，无论是在专业发展方面以及为教师提供的课程，这些课堂的一部分，这些课程都需要在整合和适应的过程中提供支持？项目团队将利用基于设计的研究方法，该方法将涉及课堂观察，对教师的访谈以及调查来评估教师如何以及以什么方式将材料适应其课堂。该项目团队旨在在跨环境中开发教师的案例研究，以作为未来专业发展的基础。该项目团队将招募在资源不足的学校教书，教授青年或在STEM领域中代表性不足的学校中教书的教师。该项目团队与马萨诸塞州（波士顿公共，沃尔瑟姆，斯普林菲尔德和劳伦斯），科罗拉多州和爱荷华州的学区建立了合作伙伴关系。对该计划的研究和评估将使教育工作者和教师能够使用整体跨学科来实施有关计算科学的最佳实践。此外，考虑到有限的工作以及在国家环境科学教师之间普遍缺乏计算知识，这项工作将为如何支持科学教师在课堂上使用编码和计算提供一些最初的见解。这项工作将通过公共节日，教师会议和传统的学术研究会议与广泛的观众共享。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为是值得通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛影响的评估评估来通过评估来支持的。