Developing A Discourse Observation Tool and Online Professional Development to Promote Science, Oral Language and Literacy Development from the Start of School

探索研究K-12计划（DRK-12）旨在通过研究和开发创新资源，模型和工具（RMT），显着提高学前班学生和教师的科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）的学习和教学。DRK-12计划中的项目建立在STEM教育的基础研究和先前的研究和开发工作的基础上，这些研究和开发工作为拟议项目提供了理论和经验依据。本研究的目的是开发资源和专业发展模式，帮助早期小学教师通过培养科学话语来改善幼儿科学教学。 下一代科学标准（NGSS）的一个核心组成部分是让学生参与话语，重点是制定和传达科学解释。 该项目将开发一种课堂观察工具，帮助教师检查K-2课堂中科学话语的数量和质量随着时间的推移而发生的变化。 该项目还将开发一个在线专业发展（PD）模型，该模型使用新的观察工具帮助教师分析自己的课堂实践和其他人的实践，以改善课堂工作，促进改进科学话语。 本研究将采用基于设计的实施研究（DBIR）的方法来开发新的课堂观察工具和在线专业发展模式，并寻求以下研究问题的答案：1）如何开发课堂观察测量来有效地捕捉早期小学课堂中科学话语的质量范围？ 2)如何基于新的观测工具开发在线局部放电模型？3)教师在参与一年的专业发展课程的过程中，其知识与教学实践有何变化？以及4）在教师参与围绕新观察工具建立的为期一年的在线PD体验的过程中，K-2课堂中科学话语的数量和质量如何变化？ 该项目将吸引密歇根州的36名教师及其36个不同的教室，并使用多种数据源来了解教师知识和教学实践在参与新的PD模型期间是否以及如何发生变化。 设计，数据收集和细化的多次迭代将被用来理解如何，何时以及为什么PD和观察工具的功能可能会联合收割机结合，以改变早期小学课堂的科学话语。 在第3年和第4年，项目团队将与15名教师和5名教学教练（经验丰富的科学教师）进行为期两年的实施试验，他们将使用PD和工具来研究其实施情况并进行迭代改进。该项目还将收集数据，以了解教师知识和实践的变化，以及视频数据，以记录课堂话语的变化。

The Discovery Research K-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools (RMTs). Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects. The goal of this project is to develop resources and a professional development model to help early-elementary teachers improve science instruction among young learners by cultivating scientific discourse. A central component of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is engaging students in discourse with a focus on formulating and communicating scientific explanations. This project will develop a classroom observation tool that will help teachers examine changes in the quantity and quality of science discourse in K-2 classrooms over time. The project will also develop an online professional development (PD) model that uses the new observation tool to help teachers analyze their own classroom practices and the practice of others to improve classroom efforts to foster improved scientific discourse. This early stage design and development study will employ a Design-Based Implementation Research (DBIR) approach to develop the new classroom observation tool and online professional development model, and then seek answers to the following research questions: 1) How can a classroom observation measure be developed to effectively capture the range in quality of science discourse in early elementary classrooms?; 2) How can an online PD model be developed based on the new observation tool?; 3) How do teachers' knowledge and instructional practice change over the course of participation in the yearlong PD?; and 4) How does the quantity and quality of science discourse change in K-2 classrooms over the course of teachers' participation in a yearlong online PD experience that is built around the new observation tool? The project will engage 36 teachers and their 36 different classrooms in Michigan and use multiple data sources to understand whether and how teacher knowledge and instructional practices change during participation in the new PD model. Multiple iterations of design, data collection, and refinement will be used to understand how, when, and why features of the PD and observation tool might combine to transform science discourse in early elementary classrooms. In years 3 and 4, the project team will conduct two year-long implementation trials with cohorts of 15 teachers and 5 instructional coaches (experienced science teachers) who will use the PD and tool in order study their implementation and make iterative improvements. The project will also gather data to understand changes in teacher knowledge and practice as well as video data to document changes in classroom discourse.