RDE-FRI: The Effects of Simulation Enhanced Training for Teachers on the Science Achievement of Third and Fourth Grade

RDE-FRI项目：模拟增强培训对三年级和四年级学生科学成就的影响是一个为期36个月，由残疾人教育研究（RDE）计划的重点研究计划（FRI）资助的299，942美元的奖项。 该项目的主要目标是对小学教师进行有效教学战略的培训，使三年级和四年级的残疾学生能够体验有效的科学教育，提高他们的科学成绩。 使用模拟教室环境，即基于网络的simSchool系统，向小学教师传授有效的教学战略，该系统包括残疾和非残疾的各种学习者群体。该研究团队正在进行一个四（4）阶段的项目，该项目首先为环境科学单元的池塘生活编程科学课堂化身的独特学习者特征。 该项目的第二阶段包括与同时也是研究生的小学教师一起对simSchool单元进行现场测试。 在该项目的第三阶段，研究小组收集干预前和干预后的数据，从小学教师比较模拟学校的方法，以面对面的方法的有效性。 该项目的第四阶段包括调查模拟学校方法对有残疾和无残疾的三年级和四年级学生的科学成绩的影响，这些成绩是通过基于课程的评估和爱荷华州基本技能测试和威斯康星州环境清单的成绩获得分数来衡量的。该项目建立在该小组先前成功的教师专业发展工作的基础上，（DRL-0322847）和采用模拟学校方法对女孩进行科学教育（GSE-0114917），以及教育部资助使用simSchool进行职前小学教师培训（P116 B 060398）。这个经验丰富的团队由一位具有特殊教育背景的研究人员领导，与simSchool系统的开发者大卫吉布森合作，并与缅因大学法明顿分校、内华达大学里诺分校、东南路易斯安那大学和佛罗里达大学盖恩斯维尔分校。 十（10）教师谁是研究生在北德克萨斯大学（UNT）将参加这个项目，他们的培训的影响正在评估80 K-12残疾学生和420没有残疾。 另有20名三年级和四年级残疾学生和30名三年级和四年级非残疾学生，来自联合国大学赞助的榆树叉教育方案，正在参与该项目的有效性测试阶段。该项目解决了RDE-FRI跟踪通过测量教师培训对科学的影响来调查STEM中残疾人有效教学方法和实践的目标为三年级和四年级残疾学生提供教育。 外部评估员Leslie Leach正在制定形成性和总结性项目评估计划。其他形成性项目输入由专家顾问团队提供，包括来自夏威夷大学的John Southworth;来自西格鲁吉亚大学的Barbara McKenzie;来自缅因州大学的Theresa Overall和来自北卡罗来纳州的John Park。 还有一个广泛的传播计划，其中包括在同行评审的专业期刊上发表研究结果，在特殊教育，科学，技术和教育研究会议上介绍项目材料和结果，并与RDE社区以及simSchool用户的广泛社区交流项目方法和成果。

The project RDE-FRI: The Effects of Simulation Enhanced Training for Teachers on the Science Achievement of Third and Fourth Graders is a 36 month, $299,942 dollar award funded by the Research in Disabilities Education (RDE) program's Focused Research Initiatives (FRI) track. The primary goal of the project is to train elementary school teachers in effective teaching strategies so that third and fourth grade students with disabilities will experience effective science education and improve their science achievement. Effective teaching strategies are taught to elementary school teachers using a simulated classroom setting, the web-based simSchool system, which includes a diverse group of learners with and without disabilities. The research team is conducting a four (4) phase project which begins with programming the unique learner characteristics of the science classroom Avatars for an environmental science unit on the life in a pond. Phase two of the project includes field testing the simSchool unit with elementary school teachers who are also graduate students. During the third phase of the project the research team collects pre- and post-intervention data from elementary school teachers to compare the effectiveness of the simSchool approach to a face-to-face approach. Phase four of the project includes an investigation of the impact of the simSchool approach on the science achievement of third and fourth graders with and without disabilities as measured by curriculum based assessments and achievement gain scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Wisconsin Environmental Inventory. This project builds on the prior success of the team's NSF-funded work on the teacher professional development (DRL-0322847) and on the use of the simSchool approach to educating girls in science (GSE-0114917), as well as Education Department funding for the use of simSchool for pre-service elementary teacher training (P116B060398).This highly experienced team, which is lead by a researcher with a special education background, benefits from collaborations with the David Gibson, the developer of the simSchool system, as well as partnerships with teacher education faculty from the University of Maine-Farmington, the University of Nevada-Reno, Southeastern Louisiana University, and the University of Florida-Gainesville. Ten (10) teachers who are graduate students at the University of North Texas (UNT) will participate in this project and the impact of their training is being assessed on 80 K-12 student with disabilities and 420 without disabilities. An additional 20 third and fourth grade students with disabilities and 30 third and fourth grade students without disabilities, from the Elm Fork Educational Program sponsored at the UNT, are participating in the validity testing phase of this project.This project addresses the RDE-FRI track goal of investigating effective instructional methods and practices for people with disabilities in STEM by measuring the impact of teacher training on science education for third and fourth graders with disabilities. There is a formative and summative project evaluation plan being conducted by Leslie Leach an external evaluator. Additional formative project input is provided by a team of expert advisors that includes John Southworth from the University of Hawaii; Barbara McKenzie from the University of West Georgia; Theresa Overall from the University of Maine, and John Park from North Carolina State. There is also an extensive dissemination plan which includes publishing findings in peer-reviewed professional journals, presenting project materials and results at special education, science, technology and education research conferences, and communicating project methods and outcomes with the RDE community as well as the broad community of simSchool users.