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)，显著提高K-12学龄前学生和教师在科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)方面的学习和教学。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努力的基础上，这些研究和开发工作为拟议的项目提供了理论和经验证明。本项目的目标是开发资源和专业发展模式，以帮助早期小学教师通过培养科学话语来改善年轻学习者的科学教学。下一代科学标准(NGSS)的一个核心组成部分是让学生参与到话语中来，重点是制定和交流科学解释。这个项目将开发一个课堂观察工具，帮助教师检查K-2课堂上科学话语的数量和质量随时间的变化。该项目还将开发一个在线专业发展(PD)模式，该模式使用新的观察工具来帮助教师分析自己的课堂实践和他人的实践，以改进课堂努力，促进改进的科学话语。这项早期设计与发展研究将采用基于设计的实施研究(DBIR)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以有效地捕捉早期小学课堂中科学话语的范围？2)如何基于新的观察工具开发在线PD模型？3)在参与为期一年的PD的过程中，教师的知识和教学实践如何变化？4)在教师参与围绕新的观察工具建立的为期一年的在线PD体验的过程中，K-2课堂上的科学话语的数量和质量如何变化？该项目将让密歇根州的36名教师及其36个不同的教室参与进来，并使用多种数据来源来了解教师知识和教学实践在参与新的PD模式期间是否以及如何发生变化。设计、数据收集和改进的多次迭代将被用来理解PD和观察工具的特征如何、何时以及为什么可以结合在一起来改变早期小学课堂中的科学话语。在第三年和第四年，项目小组将与15名教师和5名教学教练(有经验的科学教师)一起进行为期一年的实施试验，他们将使用PD和工具来研究其实施情况，并进行反复改进。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.