Professional development for K-12 science teachers in linguistically diverse classrooms

该项目将让科学教师参与一项持续专业发展(PD)计划，该计划嵌入了一项专为语言不同的英语学习者(ELS)群体设计的课外科学计划。该项目的目标是在一所高中任教的科学教师(化学、物理、生物和地球科学)，其中包括来自缅甸、中美洲和非洲的难民。大约20%的学生被归类为ELS，代表了近20个不同的语言群体，包括各种亚洲语言、西班牙语和阿拉伯语。该项目寻求解决的基本问题是设计科学学习环境，以促进ELS在语言多样化的高中课堂上的学习。关于英语学习科学教育的研究建议了几种有效的教学方法，如建立在学生多样化和丰富资源的基础上，让学生参与真实的科学学习实践，以及鼓励和重视灵活使用多种语言。然而，以前的大多数研究都集中在小学和中学的科学课堂上教授说西班牙语的人，在这些课堂上，大多数ELS学生说同样的语言。此外，虽然许多支持ELS科学教育的PD计划提供短期研讨会和/或新设计的课程和课程指南，但缺乏通过研究人员和教师之间的合作让教师参与持续实践社区的PD模式。该项目的主要目标包括扩大参与，对14名科学教师产生直接影响，他们将在项目实施期间影响2000多名学生，其中包括450多名ELS。该项目提供了PD方案的持续模式，进一步影响了参与该项目不同阶段的教师的El学生。该项目有可能通过三种不同的方式对ELS和ELS的高中科学教师产生影响。首先，通过生成包括有效的教学材料和教学实践的PD材料，以供处于类似教育环境中的其他教育工作者使用。第二，通过向学术界发表报告和发表论文来传达该项目的研究成果。这些成果可能会影响其他希望设计PD计划以促进ELS科学学习的研究人员。第三，通过在更大范围内实施开发和测试的PD计划。该项目的实施将建设开展更大的PD项目的能力，以影响更多的教师和学生。这些预期的产出和结果将为希望支持ELS的科学学习和推动公平的研究人员和实践者提供宝贵的资源。最后，项目团队和两组科学教师将共同设计全校科学教师PD，以转变非参与教师的科学教材和实践。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年级学生和教师的科学、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，为拟议的项目提供了理论和经验上的证明。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project will engage science teachers in a sustained professional development (PD) program embedded in an afterschool science program designed for a linguistically diverse group of English learners (ELs). The project targets science teachers (chemistry, physics, biology, and earth science) who teach in a high school that includes refugees from Myanmar, Central America, and Africa. Roughly 20% of the students are classified as ELs, representing almost 20 different linguistic groups, including a variety of Asian, Spanish, and Arabic languages. The fundamental issue that the project seeks to address is the design of science learning environments to facilitate ELs' learning in linguistically diverse high school classrooms. Research on science education for ELs has recommended several effective teaching approaches, such as building on students' diverse and rich resources, engaging students in authentic science learning practices, and encouraging and valuing flexible use of multiple languages. However, previously most research has focused on teaching speakers of Spanish in elementary and middle school level science classrooms in which a majority of ELs speak the same language. Furthermore, while many PD programs supporting science education for ELs provide a short-term workshop and/or newly designed curriculum and curriculum guide, there is a lack of PD models that engage teachers in a sustained community of practice through collaboration between researchers and teachers. The project's primary goal includes broadening participation with direct impact on 14 science teachers, who will impact over 2000 students, including over 450 ELs, during the project implementation period. The project provides a sustained model of the PD program which further impacts EL students of teachers who participated in the various phases of the project. The project has a potential to make an impact on ELs and high school science teachers of ELs in three different ways. First, by generating PD materials that include effective teaching materials and instructional practices for ELs, which can be used by other educators situated in similar educational contexts. Second, by giving presentations and publish papers that communicate findings of the project to academic communities. These outputs can impact other researchers who would like to design PD programs to foster ELs' science learning. Third, by implementing the developed and tested PD program in a larger scale. The implementation of the project will build capacity to conduct a larger PD project to impact more teachers and students. These anticipated outputs and outcomes will provide valuable resources for researcher and practitioners looking to support ELs' science learning and steps forward to equity. Finally, the project team and two cohorts of science teachers will co-design a school-wide science teacher PD to transform science teaching materials and practices of non-participating teachers.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.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.