Educating the Imagination: A Studio Design for Transformative Science Learning

TERC与波士顿艺术学院合作，正在为7-9年级的学生开发创新的工作室学习环境。该试点项目的重点是以对象为中心的调查水和水有关的问题的地方和全球意义。该项目通过多方面的研究促进学生学习，涉及水文学，历史，健康，数字媒体，基于网络的人工制品生成，真实的世界数据收集，与科学家和艺术家的互动，以及学生作品的社区展览。 教育想象力项目的主要目标是开发一种更有效的模式，用于参与和改善代表性不足的城市学生的科学学习和成就。工作室学习有意地将实验与分析，解释，工作批评和概念发展的实践相结合。在为期四周的夏季工作室计划中，学生在教师和科学家的指导下，将制作关于水的研究项目，并制定计划在学年期间在波士顿地区展出他们的作品。学生将被评估沿着多个维度，从他们对水科学思想的理解的深度，他们提出索赔和论点的能力，他们使用多种工具和代表模式，以及他们的演讲质量。在为期两年的时间里，研究人员将收集工作室设计模型和学生学习的数据，以确定工作室的哪些方面能有效地吸引学生参与与重要的水科学思想和问题相关的面向对象的探究。教育想象力将提供有关工作室设计模型及其应用的宝贵见解，以促进科学学习。此外，该项目还直接解决了学习和参与科学机会不平等的问题，方法是针对代表性不足的城市学生开发和测试一种创新的、非传统的学习模式。该项目的结果可能会显著改变我们对城市环境中STEM学习环境的思考和构建方式。

TERC, in collaboration with the Boston Arts Academy is developing an innovative studio learning environment for students in grades 7-9. This pilot project focuses on object-centered inquiry about water and water-related problems of local and global significance. The project promotes student learning through multi-faceted studies involving hydrology, history, health, digital media, web-based artifact generation, real world data collection, interactions with scientists and artists, and community exhibitions of student work. The primary goal of the Educating the Imagination project is to develop a more effective model for engaging and improving the science learning and achievement of underrepresented urban students. Studio learning intentionally integrates experimentation with practices of analysis, interpretation, critique of work and conceptual development. During a four week summer studio program, students, guided by teachers and scientists, will produce research-based projects about water and create plans to exhibit their work in the Boston area during the school year. Students will be assessed along multiple dimensions ranging from the depth of their understanding of water science ideas, their ability to make claims and arguments, their use of multiple tools and modes of representation, and the quality of their presentations. Over a two year period researchers will collect data on the studio design model and student learning to determine which aspects of the studio are effective in engaging students in object-oriented inquiry related to important water science ideas and problems.Educating the Imagination will provide valuable insights about the studio design model and its application to promote science learning. In addition, this project directly addresses the problem of inequality in opportunities to learn and participate in science by developing and testing an innovative, non-traditional learning model with underrepresented urban students. The results of this project could significantly change how we think about and structure STEM learning environments in urban settings.