Next Step Learning: Bridging Science Education and Cleantech Careers with Innovative Technologies

该项目将创建一条从学校到家庭的科学和工程技术增强的学习途径，重点是家庭能源效率。学生们将有多种机会利用他们在学校学到的科学和工程知识，在家里解决真正的现实世界能源效率问题，这些问题可能会导致清洁技术职业生涯。加深对科学和工程实践的理解，并学习如何在新的环境中应用所学知识，有助于提高能源效率，维持数百万人的电力供应，并帮助清洁地球。八个课程单元将由学校教育工作者和行业合作伙伴共同开发，以将科学和工程活动纳入现有的学校标准、教学和评估。为了帮助教师准备实施这些单元，将设计专业发展，使教师做好准备，积极指导学生使用红外摄像机、传感器、模拟和混合现实技术。这些技术将帮助学生实时可视化、调查和设计现实和虚拟世界中看不见的热量和质量流动，以便他们决定如何节约能源。这一战略项目将推动更好地理解和促进实践，通过学生和教师创新技术体验计划，提高学生在科学、技术、工程或数学领域追求职业的动机和能力。来自马萨诸塞州10所不同社会经济背景的初中和高中的60多名教师和2000多名学生将参与该项目。混合方法研究设计将捕获有关教师采用和使用的数据，展示学生的学习和应用，并突出行业在学校到家庭学习路径模型中的角色和责任。这些数据将衡量该模型在改善家庭能源效率学习成果以及提高学生对清洁技术职业的兴趣和动机方面的有效性。该项目将作为教育和行业合作的技术增强型模式，可转移到其他社区和州。

This project will create a science and engineering technology enhanced learning pathway from school to home that focuses on home energy efficiency. Students will have multiple opportunities to use what they learn about science and engineering in school to solve authentic real-world energy efficiency problems at home that could potentially lead to cleantech careers. A deeper understanding of science and engineering practices and learning how to apply what is learned in new settings contribute to energy efficiency, sustain power to millions of people, and help clean up the planet. Eight curriculum units will be jointly developed by school educators and industry partners to integrate science and engineering activities into existing school standards, instruction, and assessments. To help teachers prepare to implement these units, professional development will be designed to prepare teachers to actively guide students in the use of infrared cameras, sensors, simulations, and mixed-reality technologies. These technologies will help students visualize, investigate, and design invisible heat and mass flows in real and virtual worlds in real time as they make decisions about ways to conserve energy. This strategies project will advance efforts to better understand and promote practices that increase students' motivations and capacities to pursue careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics through the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers program. More than 60 teachers and 2000 students from 10 socioeconomically diverse middle and high schools in Massachusetts will participate in the project. A mixed-methods research design will capture data about teacher adoption and use, showcase student learning and application, and highlight industry roles and responsibilities in the school to home learning pathway model. These data will measure the effectiveness of the model for improving learning outcomes about home energy efficiency as well as promote student interest and motivation in cleantech careers. This project will serve as a technology-enhanced model of an education and industry collaboration transferable to other communities and states.