CAREER: Computational Reconstruction of K12 Science (CoRe-Science): Integrating Computational Thinking and Modeling with School Science

这个为期五年的职业项目(CORE-Science：K12 Science的计算重建)试图解决以下研究问题：基于代理的编程语言和建模平台的设计需要如何改变，以支持计算思维、编程和建模与中学课程科学在物理和生物领域的深度整合，而不需要对学生和教师的准备进行彻底的重组？该项目的目标如下：a)开发ViMAP，这是一个新的、基于多智能体的可视化编程语言和建模平台，专门用于将计算编程和建模与中学运动学和生态学课程相结合；b)将ViMAP和伴随的学习活动与现有以项目为基础的中学运动学和生态学课程无缝结合；以及c)进行实证研究，以确定学生如何在学习建模和使用模型进行调查(反之亦然)的背景下发展计算思维，并确定在计算思维和建模能力方面的发展轨迹。该团队将在几所城市公立中学进行核心科学单元的课堂实施。之所以选择运动学和生态学的专题领域，是因为根据国家科学教育标准，它们很重要；学习者认为它们极其困难；它们可以接受基于主体的建模方法；并且先前的工作已经为PI准备了关于这些主题的高质量课程材料。除了技术创新，本项目的研究成果还包括：a)经过经验检验的K12课程整合编程语言设计原则，以及b)计算思维在这两个领域学生概念理解发展中的过程、性质和作用。此外，将通过广泛的教育界网络部署和传播运动学和生态学的课堂准备课程单元，包括ViMAP编程和建模平台、伴随的学习活动和教师支持材料。在过去几十年中，计算思维和建模已成为科学和工程专业知识的关键要素。以适当的方式将计算思维和计算工具的使用注入中学课程，可以促进这种交叉专业知识的发展。然而，将通用计算编程与K12课程科学整合已被证明是具有挑战性的，而CORE-Science试图通过为中学生开发专门用于科学建模的新的可视化编程语言和建模环境来解决这个问题，并将其与现有的中学物理和生物科学课程无缝集成。这些产品包括可广泛传播的新的学习技术，以及基于经验研究的研究结果，这些研究结果应成为一个框架的基础，以便为类似系统的未来发展提供信息。

This five year CAREER project (CoRe-Science: Computational Reconstruction of K12 Science) seeks to address the following research question: How does the design of agent-based programming languages and modeling platforms need to change in order to support deep curricular integration of computational thinking, programming and modeling with middle-school curricular science in the domains of physics and biology, without necessitating a radical restructuring of student and teacher preparation? This project has following objectives: a) To develop ViMAP, a new, multi-agent-based, visual programming language and modeling platform specifically for integrating computational programming and modeling with middle school curricular science in kinematics and ecology; b) To seamlessly integrate ViMAP and accompanying learning activities with existing project-based middle-school curricula in kinematics and ecology; and c) conduct empirical studies to identify how students develop computational thinking in the context of learning to model and use models for investigation (and vice versa), and to identify trajectories towards competency in computational thinking and modeling. The team will conduct classroom implementations of the CoRe-Science units in several urban public middle schools. The topic areas of kinematics and ecology were selected because they are important in light of national science education standards; they are experienced as extremely difficult by learners; they are amenable to agent-based modeling approaches; and prior work has prepared the PI to develop high-quality curricular materials on these topics. Besides the technological innovation, the products of this project are research findings, such as: a) empirically tested design principles for programming languages for K12 curricular integration, and b) the process, nature and role of computational thinking in the development of students' conceptual understanding in the two domains. In addition, classroom ready curricular units in kinematics and ecology, including the ViMAP programming and modeling platform, accompanying learning activities, and teacher support materials will be deployed and disseminated through a broad network of educational communities.Over the past few decades, computational thinking and modeling has emerged to be a key element of scientific and engineering expertise. Infusing computational thinking and the use of computational tools into the middle school curriculum in appropriate ways can promote this cross-cutting expertise. However, integrating general purpose computational programming with K12 curricular science has been shown to be challenging, and CoRe-Science seeks to address this issue by developing a new visual programming language and modeling environment specifically for scientific modeling for middle school students, and seamlessly integrate it with an existing science curriculum for middle school physics and biology. The products include new learning technologies that can be widely disseminated, and research findings based on empirical studies, that should be the basis of a framework to inform the future development of similar systems.