Interdisciplinary Approaches to Teaching Computational Environmental Science

由于计算在STEM学科中的强大创新和应用，迫切需要从早期年级到高中(K-12之前)的学生进行真实世界的、跨学科的和计算准备。爱荷华州波士顿学院、科罗拉多博尔德大学和教育发展中心的研究人员将培训环境科学教师，让他们使用最近的科学发现--人造透明土壤，将计算环境科学融入他们的教学实践。人造透明土壤使活植物的根部可视化，并使科学家、教师和学生能够在微观水平上研究根系结构和土壤生态。从机械上讲，人造土壤模仿真实土壤，支撑根部结构，容纳悬浮矿物质，可以被微生物定居，并像土壤一样交换气体。项目调查人员将把这项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整合到他们的环境科学课程中，并将沉浸在一个跨学科培训计划中，在该计划中，他们将学习人工透明土壤背后的物理、化学和生物原理，同时还将学习如何对微电子进行编程和编码，并与学生一起进行科学实验。这个项目是为了响应NSF亲爱的同事信函：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，STEM计算计划推动研究和开发跨学科和跨学科的方法，将计算融入科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)教与学中，在正式和非正式环境中为预科-12学生提供教学。STEM C支持研究学生如何学习计算思维，以解决STEM领域中的跨学科问题。这项研究的首要驱动问题围绕着理解如何以及以何种方式发展一个支持性的专业发展生态系统，使教师能够将计算科学注入他们的教学中，支持他们的学生进行科学研究。具体来说，研究小组的问题是：(1)教师在教授科学时如何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驾驭灌输计算的紧张局势，同时确保STEM内容，以及教师在教学中使用哪些计算科学和科学实践？(3)在专业发展和课程材料本身方面，需要向教师提供哪些支持，以支持他们整合和调整该计划以适应他们的课堂？项目团队将利用基于设计的研究方法，包括课堂观察、与教师的访谈和调查，以评估教师如何以及以何种方式将材料适应他们的课堂。该项目小组的目标是开发各种背景下的教师案例研究，作为未来专业发展的基础。该项目团队将招聘在资源不足的学校任教、教授有色人种青年或在STEM领域代表不足人口比例较高的学校任教的教师。该项目团队与马萨诸塞州(波士顿公立、沃尔瑟姆、斯普林菲尔德和劳伦斯)、科罗拉多州和爱荷华州的学区建立了现有的合作伙伴关系。该计划的研究和评估将使教育工作者和教师能够利用STEM教学的整体跨学科实施有关计算科学灌输的最佳实践。此外，鉴于各国环境科学教师的工作有限，而且普遍缺乏计算知识，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。这项工作将通过公共节日、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NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力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.