Investigating the Effects of Computational Thinking Games on Mathematical and Scientific Practices

STEM+计算伙伴关系（STEM+C）计划旨在通过跨一个或多个领域的应用研究和开发，推进STEM教学和学习中计算的多学科整合。该项目旨在通过大规模部署用于发展计算思维的在线课程，调查计算思维与共同核心州标准（CCSS）和下一代科学标准（NGSS）中概述的数学和科学实践之间的联系。计算技能将通过三个独立的适合年龄和年级的基于游戏的计算思维课程传授给小学、初中和高中的学生，该课程使用一个适应性教育平台，专注于发展可能转移到数学和科学学习的高阶技能。两个研究问题将指导研究和开发活动：(1)基于游戏的计算思维课程能否提高学生的数学和科学实践，以及他们的计算技能？(2)在不同年级，课程材料和教师制定的最佳特征是什么？为了回答这些问题，该项目将：(1)开发基于计算思维问题的学习体验，重点是将计算思维嵌入到三个适合小学、初中和高中学生年龄的教学游戏中；(2)为教师提供不需要任何计算背景的学习体验提供脚手架式的教师支持；(3)制定有效的措施来评估共享实践的获取；(4)在三个州以3000多名教师和9万多名学生的规模实施课程并评估效果；(5)将计算挑战与数学应用题解决联系起来，分析实践迁移；(6)通过数据驱动的优化，在数年内迭代干预措施和验证，以获得更大的转移结果。该研究将采用计算思维的概念作为一种解决问题的过程，可转移到各种各样的情况下，包括在数学和科学的实际应用。因此，这项工作的前提是，计算思维的核心实践与CCSS和NGSS中确定的数学和科学实践密切相关。为了展示不同年级的技能是如何发展的，该项目将开发三种独立的基于游戏的干预措施，分别适用于小学、初中和高中学生，包括将嵌入在这些游戏中的基于问题的计算思维学习体验。为促进以游戏为基础的学习技术和课程的成功实施，该计划将把电脑游戏与“教师联合试点”（Teacher Co-Pilot）结合起来。“教师联合试点”是一个学习平台，可为教师提供课程计划和课堂活动的逐步流程，并直接安装在学生的电脑上。“教师副驾驶员”的设计假定教师通过上课能学到最好的东西，因此体验将以最短的启动时间为目标进行定制。为了解决这两个研究问题，该项目将调查基于游戏的计算思维课程是否能提高学生数学和科学实践的某些方面，以及他们的计算技能。这将通过对三个游戏的细化和大规模部署来实现，并通过对一小部分学生的认知访谈来评估迁移，并对所有参与的学生进行仔细的评估。同样，该项目将通过与教师联合试点平台的整合，调查课程材料和教师制定的最佳特征，这些特征将在不同年级产生最大的成果，通过该平台，该项目将调查教师所需的最有效的最小脚手架。这将通过对40名教师的抽样进行两次试点研究和焦点小组访谈来完成，以调查对教师有用和最佳的反馈。该项目的主要成果将是基于研究和实地测试的基于游戏的课程原型，重点是跨年级计算思维与科学和数学学习的整合，这些课程将免费提供给教育工作者，以便在项目持续时间之后实施适应。顾问委员会将对项目进行形成性和总结性评估。

The STEM + Computing Partnership (STEM+C) program seeks to advance multidisciplinary integration of computing in STEM teaching and learning through applied research and development across one or more domains. This project aims at investigating the connections between computational thinking and mathematical and scientific practices as outlined in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) through large-scale deployment of an online curriculum for development of computational thinking. The computational skills will be delivered to elementary, middle, and high-school students through three separate age- and grade-appropriate game-based computational thinking curriculum using an adaptive educational platform focused on developing higher-order skills that are likely transferable to mathematics and science learning. Two research questions will guide the research and development activities: (1) Can the game-based computational thinking curriculum lead to improvement in students' mathematics and science practices, as well as their computing skills?; and (2) What are the optimal characteristics of curriculum materials and teacher enactment that would lead to greatest outcomes at different grade levels? To answer these questions, the project will: (1) develop computational thinking problem-based learning experiences with a focus on computational thinking embedded in three age-appropriate instructional games for elementary, middle, and high school students; (2) provide scaffolded teacher support for delivering the learning experience that does not require any computational background for teachers; (3) develop valid measures towards assessing acquisition of shared practices; (4) implement the curricula and evaluate their effects through large-scale statewide in three states with over 3,000 teachers and over 90,000 students; (5) connect the computational challenges with mathematics word problem solving and analyze the practice transfer; and (6) iterate the interventions and validation over multiple years with data-driven optimization towards greater transfer outcomes.The study will adopt the notion of computational thinking as a problem-solving process that is transferable to a wide variety of situations, including practical applications in mathematics and science. Thus, the premise of this effort will be that practices at the core of computational thinking are closely related to the mathematics and science practices identified in the CCSS and NGSS. In order to demonstrate how appropriate skills are developed across grade levels, the project will develop three separate game-based interventions appropriate for elementary, middle, and high school students, including problem-based computational thinking learning experiences that will be embedded in each of these games. To facilitate the successful implementation of the game-based learning technologies and curricula, the project will integrate computational games with the Teacher Co-Pilot, a learning platform that will provide teachers with lesson plans and step-by-step processes for classroom activities, which are directly deployed on student computers. The design of the Teacher Co-Pilot assumes that teachers will learn best by doing the lesson, so the experience will be tailored towards minimum startup time. To address the two research questions, the project will investigate whether a game-based computational thinking curriculum can lead to improvement in selected aspects of students' mathematics and science practices, as well as their computing skills. This will be achieved through the refinement and deployment of the three games at scale and assessing transfer with cognitive interviews of a small sample of students and carefully developed assessments with all the participating students. Likewise, the project will investigate the optimal characteristics of curriculum materials and teacher enactment that would lead to greatest outcomes at different grade levels via integration with the Teacher Co-Pilot platform, through which the project will investigate the most effective minimal scaffolding needed for teachers. This will be accomplished through pilot studies in two iterations with a sample of 40 teachers and focus group interviews to investigate useful and optimal feedback for teachers. The key outcome of this project will be research-informed and field-tested prototypes of game-based curriculum focused on the integration of computational thinking and science and mathematics learning across grade levels, freely available to educators for implementation of adaptation beyond the duration of the project. An advisory board will conduct the formative and summative evaluation of the project.