Phase I and II: Unsing Information Technologies to Support Urban Middle School Students in Scientific Inquiry

9725927 Krajcik我们建议研究底特律城市中学适应和维持创新的过程，该创新突出了由计算技术实现的探究。创新包括技术(研究人员研讨会中的一套工具)、指令(基于项目的科学和教学材料)和专业发展方法。我们的实施模式强调包括与教师和管理人员合作的过程，以适应创新，以便考虑到学校、社区和学区的S城市系统倡议的现实背景，使其能够实现。它还强调创新要素之间的协调以及学校和区一级的政策，以便它们结合起来支持创新。这项研究的目的是了解如何在城市学校系统中建设必要的能力，以应对采用和维持技术和教学变革所涉及的复杂性。能力包括a)支持创新的基础设施和政策，b)专业人员拥抱改革并共同努力实现改革的文化，以及c)能力、教师和行政人员知道如何调动能量和资源来启动和维持创新。我们已经在与底特律的中学合作。研究计划分为两个阶段。在第一阶段，我们将采用定量和定性相结合的方法，研究创新的实施过程，在七年级和八年级的课堂上引入技术带来的探究，以及创新如何在三年的时间里影响学生、教室和学校。第二阶段的重点将是探索我们在第一阶段中学到的关于问题和潜在解决方案的知识是否有助于在新的但类似的中学环境中更有效和高效地实施创新。我们的设想是，通过借鉴我们的经验，学校和学区可以更主动地预测困难，以适应其情况的方式应对创新，并提高维持教学和技术变革的能力。产品将包括用于教育变革努力的研究报告和材料。所获得的知识将增加关于改革的文献，并使教育工作者和政策制定者能够提高旨在通过技术带来的探究让城市学生学习科学的变革努力的有效性。NSF FORoU t358(1/94)

9725927 Krajcik We propose to study the process of adapting and sustaining an innovation in urban middle schools in Detroit that highlights inquiry enabled by computational technology. The innovation includes technology (a suite of tools in the Investigator's Workshop), instruction (Project Based Science and instructional materials) and an approach to professional development. Our model of implementation stresses processes that include collaborating with teachers and administrators to adapt the innovation so that it is achieveable given the realities of the context of the school, community, and the district' s Urban Systemic Initiative. It also emphasizes coordination among the elements of the innovation and of policies at the school and district level so that in combination they support the innovation. The goal of the research is to understand how to build capacity in urban school systems necessary to cope with the complexities involved in adopting and sustaining technological and pedagogical change. Capacity includes a) infrastructure and policies that support the innovation, b) culture in which professionals embrace reform and work together to achieve it, and c) capability, teacher and administrator know how to mobilize energy and resources to initiate and sustain the innovation. We are already working jointly with middle schools in Detroit. The research plan has two phases. In phase 1, using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, we will study the innovation implementation process, adaptations to the innovation as inquiry enabled by technology is introduced to seventh and eighth grade classrooms, and how the innovation affects students, classrooms and schools over a three year period. The focus of Phase 2 will be to explore whether what we learned in phase 1 about problems and potential solutions contributes to more effective and efficient innovation implementation in new, but similar, middle school settings. Our assumption is that by drawing on our experiences, schools and districts can be more proactive in anticipating difficulties, responding in ways that adapt the innovation to their situations and that increase capacity to sustain instructional and technological change. Products will include research reports and materials for use in educational change efforts. The knowledge gained will add to the literature on reform and enable educators and policy makers to improve the effectiveness of change efforts directed at engaging urban students in learning science through inquiry enabled by technology. NSF FORoU t358 (1/94)