Preparing K-5 Teachers to Integrate the Computer Science Standards of Learning in Inclusive Classrooms to Support Students with High Incidence Disabilities

尽管在将计算机科学和计算思维（CS/CT）引入中学方面的努力有所增加，但大多数举措的设计并不是为了培养小学在职教师所需的相关知识和技能。随着各州开始在K-12阶段采用CS标准，而对标准的实施几乎没有支持，这个问题变得尤为重要。与此同时，有最常见残疾的学生需要有机会学习CS标准的内容和实践。该项目将通过与当地学校部门诺福克市公立学校合作，建立一个可用、全面、有效和有吸引力的专业发展（PD）模式来解决这一问题，以支持所有学习者在基础教学中融入CS，重点是支持高发病率残疾学生。在为整合CS标准在小学年级开发PD和创建资源以支持教师进行整合方面，该项目将与合作地区的75多名小学教师合作。每年，在NCPS的近1万名k -5年级学生中，这些教师保守地说，每年要教1500名学生，占学生总数的15%。PD模式还将通过与CodeVA的关系扩展到弗吉尼亚州的其他学校部门。最后，PD和研究伙伴战略将通过在线资源（即视频图书馆、在线培训模块）、在地方和国家会议上的演讲以及同行评议的手稿来传播。乔治梅森大学和老道明大学的教师与诺福克市公立学校（nps）的人员创建了一个研究人员实践者合作伙伴关系，将使用基于设计的实施研究（DBIR）过程来完善一个有效的PD模型，以支持包容性课堂中的小学教师将最近强制要求的CS标准整合到数学、科学、以高发残疾（如学习障碍、情绪或行为障碍、轻度智力残疾、高功能自闭症和注意缺陷多动障碍）学生可及的方式进行识字教学。从理论上和概念上，本研究将有助于整合计算机科学的教学策略和方法，并了解小学教师如何理解计算机科学标准和处理计算机科学整合。“学习通用设计”教学框架将指导实施小组和合作伙伴教育工作者设计教学，通过解决学习障碍来满足包括残疾学生在内的所有学习者的需求。本研究将借由小学课堂教师的专家见解，透过适合年级的递进来检视CS排序。该项目还将通过CS培养学科素养，因为学生使用各种策略来阅读、写作和交流他们在各个学科内部和之间的理解。综合起来，这些努力将有助于回答一个首要问题：多方利益相关者如何协同完善和发展有效和可持续的PD，将计算机科学整合到K-5包容性教室中，以支持高发病率残疾学生？作为DBIR过程的一部分，该项目将通过对教师的访谈、实地观察笔记、教师评估和调查结果、口头协议数据、教师教案、视频数据和学生作业样本，在为期6周的迭代周期内收集数据。在每个周期中，对访谈、观察、教案和口头协议的分析将依赖于不断比较的定性方法。对职前测量数据的分析将包括描述性统计和配对样本t检验，通过PD来衡量教师的成长。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。

Although there has been an increase in efforts to introduce computer science and computational thinking (CS/CT) into secondary schools, most initiatives have not been designed to develop related knowledge and skills necessary for elementary in-service teachers. This issue is particularly important as states begin to adopt CS standards for K-12 with little to no support for implementation of the standards. At the same time, students with the most common disabilities need to have opportunities to learn the content and practices outlined those CS standards. The project will address this problem by generating, working in partnership with a local school division, Norfolk City Public Schools, a usable, comprehensive, effective, and appealing model of professional development (PD) to support CS integration in elementary instruction for all learners, with an emphasis on supporting students with high-incidence disabilities. In developing PD for integration of CS standards in elementary grades and creating resources to support teachers in this integration, this project will work with more than 75 elementary teachers in the partner district. Of the nearly 10,000 current K-5th grade students in NCPS in any given year, these teachers will, conservatively, teach 1,500 students or 15% of the student population yearly. The PD model will also be extended into other school divisions in Virginia through its relationship with CodeVA. Finally, PD and research-partnership strategies will be disseminated through online resources (i.e., video library, online training modules), presentations at local and national conferences, and peer reviewed manuscripts.Faculty from George Mason University and Old Dominion University created a Researcher Practitioner Partnership with personnel from Norfolk City Public Schools (NCPS) that will use a Design Based Implementation Research (DBIR) process to refine an effective PD model to support elementary teachers in inclusive classrooms in integrating recently-mandated CS standards into math, science, and literacy instruction in ways accessible to students with high-incidence disabilities (e.g. learning disabilities, emotional or behavioral disorders, mild intellectual disability, high functioning autism, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder). Theoretically and conceptually, the research will contribute to pedagogical strategies and approaches for integrating computer science and understanding how elementary teachers understand CS standards and approach CS integration. The Universal Design for Learning instructional framework will guide the implementation team and partner educators to design instruction to meet the needs of all learners, including those with disabilities, by addressing barriers to learning. The research will examine CS sequencing through grade-appropriate progressions by drawing on the expert insights of elementary classroom teachers. The project will also develop disciplinary literacy through CS as students use various strategies to read, write, and communicate their understanding within and among various disciplines. Combined, these efforts will help answer the overarching question: How do multiple stakeholders collaboratively refine and develop effective and sustainable PD on the integration of computer science in K-5 inclusive classrooms to support students with high incidence disabilities? The project will collect data via interviews with teachers, field notes from observations, teacher assessment & survey results, verbal protocol data, teacher lesson plans, video data, and student work samples across 6-week iterative cycles as part of the DBIR process. Analysis of interviews, observations, lesson plans, and verbal protocol think-alouds in each cycle will rely on the constant-comparative qualitative method. Analysis of data from pre-post measures will include descriptive statistics and paired-sample t-test to measure the growth of teachers through the PD.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.