Interdisciplinary Approaches to Teaching Computational Environmental Science

由于计算机在STEM学科中的强大创新和应用，迫切需要从早期到高中（preK-12）的学生进行现实世界，跨学科和计算准备。波士顿学院、爱荷华州立大学、科罗拉多大学博尔德分校和教育发展中心的研究人员将培训环境科学教师使用最近的科学发现——人工透明土壤——将计算环境科学融入他们的教学实践。人工透明土壤可以使活植物的根可视化，使科学家、教师和学生在微观层面上研究根结构和土壤生态。机械上，人造土壤模仿真实的土壤，支撑根结构，容纳悬浮的矿物质，可以被微生物定植，并像土壤一样交换气体。项目研究人员将把这种新的计算技术带给马萨诸塞州、爱荷华州和科罗拉多州公立学校的环境科学教师。教师将学习如何将计算科学融入环境科学课程，并将沉浸在跨学科的培训计划中，在那里他们将学习人工透明土壤背后的物理、化学和生物学原理，同时还将学习如何编程和编写微电子代码，并与学生一起进行科学实验。该项目是为回应NSF致同事的信：发现研究PreK-12：推进STEM +计算（17-149）而提交的，并得到STEM +计算计划的支持，该计划旨在推进跨学科和跨学科方法的研究和开发，以将科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）教学与学习整合到正式和非正式环境中的PreK-12学生。STEM+C支持学生如何学习计算思维来解决STEM领域的跨学科问题的研究。该研究的首要驱动问题围绕着理解如何以及以何种方式开发支持性专业发展生态系统，使教师能够将计算科学注入到教学中，从而支持学生进行科学研究。具体而言，研究团队的问题是：(1)教师如何在科学教学中适应和实施计算科学实践？(2)教师和课程设计如何帮助教师在确保STEM内容的同时，应对注入计算的紧张关系？教师在教学中使用了哪些计算科学和科学实践？(3)在专业发展方面和作为课程材料本身的一部分，需要向教师提供哪些支持，以支持他们整合和适应课堂上的课程？项目团队将采用基于设计的研究方法，包括课堂观察、对教师的访谈和调查，以评估教师如何以及以何种方式将这些材料适应他们的课堂。项目团队的目标是开发跨情境的教师案例研究，作为未来专业发展的基础。项目团队将招募在资源不足的学校任教的教师，教有色人种的年轻人，或者在STEM领域人口不足的学校任教的教师。项目团队与马萨诸塞州（波士顿公共学区、沃尔瑟姆学区、斯普林菲尔德学区和劳伦斯学区）、科罗拉多州和爱荷华州的学区建立了合作关系。该计划的研究和评估将使教育工作者和教师能够通过整体跨学科的STEM教学来实施有关计算科学注入的最佳实践。此外，鉴于工作有限，以及各国环境科学教师普遍缺乏计算知识，这项工作将为如何支持科学教师在课堂上使用编码和计算提供一些初步见解。这些作品将通过公共节日、教师会议和传统的学术研究会议与广泛的观众分享。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Because of the powerful innovation and application of computing in STEM disciplines, there is an urgent need for real-world, interdisciplinary, and computational preparation of students from the early grades through high school (preK-12). Researchers at Boston College, Iowa State, the University of Colorado Boulder, and the Educational Development Center will train environmental science teachers to use a recent scientific discovery, artificial transparent soil to integrate computational environmental science into their teaching practice. Artificial transparent soil allows for the visualization of roots in living plants and allows scientists, teachers, and students to study root structures and soil ecology on a microscopic level. Mechanically, the artificial soil mimics real soil, supports root structures, holds suspended minerals, can be colonized by microorganisms, and exchanges gases like soil. The project investigators will bring this new computational technology to environmental science teachers in public schools in Massachusetts, Iowa, and Colorado. Teachers will learn how to integrate computational science into their environmental science curriculum and will be immersed in an interdisciplinary training program where they will learn the physics, chemistry, and biological principles underlying artificial transparent soil, while also learning how to program and code micro-electronics and conduct scientific experiments with their students. This project was submitted in response to NSF Dear Colleague Letter: Discovery Research PreK-12: Advancing STEM + Computing (17-149) and is supported by the STEM + Computing Program that advances research and development of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to the integration of computing within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning for preK-12 students in both formal and informal settings. STEM+C supports research on how students learn to think computationally to solve interdisciplinary problems in the STEM fields. The overarching driving question for the research revolves around understanding how and in what ways a supportive professional development ecosystem can be developed that enables teachers to infuse computational science into their teaching that supports their students in conducting scientific research. Specifically, the research team questions are: (1) How do teachers adapt and implement computational science practices when teaching science? (2) How do teachers and the curriculum design help teachers navigate the tensions of infusing computation while also ensuring STEM content and what computational science and scientific practices do teachers utilize in their teaching?, and (3) What are the supports, both in terms of professional development and as a part of the curriculum materials themselves, that need to be provided to teachers to support them in integrating and adapting the program for their classroom? The project team will utilize design-based research approach that will involve classroom observations, interviews with teachers, and surveys to evaluate how and in what ways teachers adapted the materials to their classrooms. The project team aims to develop case studies of teachers across contexts that will serve as the basis for future professional development. The project team will recruit teachers who teach in under-resourced schools, teach youth of color, or teach in schools with a high percentage of underrepresented populations in STEM fields. The project team has existing partnerships with school districts throughout Massachusetts (Boston Public, Waltham, Springfield, and Lawrence), Colorado, and Iowa. The research and evaluation of this program will enable, educators and teachers, to implement best practices regarding the infusion of computational science using a holistic interdisciplinary to STEM instruction. Further, given the limited work, and general lack of computational knowledge amongst the nations' environmental science teachers this work will provide some of the first insights into how to support science teachers to use coding and computation in their classrooms. This work will be shared with a wide range of audiences through public festivals, teacher conferences, and traditional academic research conferences.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.