Developing the Next Generation of Problem Solvers: Investigating the Integration of Computational Thinking into Preschool Mathematics and Science

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。不久前，在学前教育中教授计算思维（CT）的目标似乎是无法实现的，但最近我们对CT构建模块和年轻学习者能力的理解取得了进展，这使得这一领域的进一步探索已经成熟。该项目将研究计算机科学与数学和科学的整合，目的是为开发新的资源提供信息，为学龄前儿童提供丰富的学习经验，促进批判性思维和解决问题的能力，这对以后在学校的成功至关重要。项目活动将包括：1)开发基于研究的学习蓝图，描绘将CT与数学和科学相结合的学习目标；2)互补性动手和数字活动的设计和迭代测试，以满足这些学习目标，吸引幼儿的兴趣，并产生学习效果；3)识别指导活动格式设计的设计原则，这些设计原则可用于学校和家庭的教育工作者和护理人员。多学科项目小组将制定学习蓝图，作为锚定文件，指导活动和研究工具的设计。此外，该团队将参与基于设计的研究，并使用共同设计的方法，在这种方法中，包括幼儿园教师、家长、孩子和顾问在内的多个利益相关者直接和积极地参与到数字和实践活动的开发和迭代试点测试中。这将确保设计决策将家庭和学校学习联系起来，考虑到幼儿的兴趣，并解决学前教育计划和文化多样化家庭的需求和优势。研究人员将进行观察和访谈，并使用本研究开发的以证据为中心的设计学习任务对儿童的学习进行评估，并进行混合方法分析。这项研究的结果可以为未来的研究和实践提供信息，寻求将CT与早期儿童科学和数学相结合。同样，这里使用的协同设计过程可以为寻求将不同利益相关者纳入基于设计的研究的其他努力提供信息。

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. Not too long ago, the goal of teaching computational thinking (CT) in preschool would have seemed unachievable, but recent advances in our understanding of the building blocks of CT and of the capabilities of young learners makes this an area ripe for further exploration. This project will investigate the integration of CT with mathematics and science with the goal of informing the development of new resources that provide preschool children with rich learning experiences that promote critical thinking and problem solving skills crucial for later school success. Project activities will include: 1) the development of research-based learning blueprints that delineate learning goals that integrate CT with mathematics and science; 2) the design and iterative testing of complementary hands-on and digital activities that address these learning goals, capture young children's interest, and also yield learning; and 3) the identification of design principles that guide the design of activity formats that can be used by educators and caregivers at school and at home. The multidisciplinary project team will develop learning blueprints to serve as anchor documents, guiding the design of activities and research instrumentation. Furthermore, the team will engage in Design-Based Research and use a co-design approach in which multiple stakeholder, including preschool teachers, parents, children, and advisors, are directly and actively involved in the development and iterative pilot testing of digital and hands-on activities. This will ensure that design decisions link home and school learning, take into account the interests of young children, and address the needs and strengths of preschool programs and culturally diverse families. Researchers will conduct observations and interviews and make assessments of children's learning using evidence centered design learning tasks developed as part of this study and conduct mixed method analyses. The results of this investigation could inform future research and practice seeking to integrate CT with early childhood science and mathematics. Likewise, the co-design process used here could inform other efforts that seek to include diverse stakeholders in design based research.