Scaffolding Computational Thinking Through Multilevel Systems Modeling

随着计算已成为科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)实践中不可或缺的一部分，STEM+计算方案寻求通过将计算思维和计算活动应用于STEM教与学的应用整合来应对计算STEM领域中新出现的挑战。该项目得到STEM+C计划的支持，并将在前一个项目的工作基础上推进其使命，该项目开发了供初中生使用的系统建模工具SageModeler。这个项目将：(1)扩展建模工具的能力，以构建系统动力学模型；(2)开发支持学生创建、测试、修改和共享自然系统动态模型的课程材料；(3)研究学生在课程背景下建模实践和计算思维的进展；以及(4)研究教师在高中阶段采用基于模型的方法教授物理、化学、生物、地球科学和环境科学主题时遇到的教学挑战。这个项目的目标是促进对学生建模实践和计算思维如何随着时间的推移和对日益复杂的现象的调查而发展的理解。该项目还将开发一套课程材料，支持学生创建、测试、修改和共享系统动态模型，以便理解复杂的自然现象。建模工具和所有材料将免费提供给学校和教师，该软件已被翻译成包括西班牙语在内的几种语言。有了翻译选项和一个旨在促进计算建模的工具，而不需要传统的编码或编写数学公式，该项目有可能扩大STEM和计算思维的更多多样性的学生的参与。系统思维和计算建模是解决一些最具挑战性的科学和社会问题的基本实践，但系统思维和因果推理对学生来说是困难的。复杂系统模型的结果可能是违反直觉的，而且通常很难知道系统的哪些组件将对结果产生重大影响。为了促进学生参与复杂自然系统的建模，开发了免费的基于网络的SageModeler工具，并在初中生和高中生中进行了测试。然而，现有的工具在支持开发复杂动态系统的可靠模型的能力方面是有限的。这个项目的指导假设是，通过使用改进的建模软件，开发适当的课程支架，并为教师提供专业学习机会，获得与系统建模、计算思维和待探索的自然现象有关的相关教学内容知识，可以改进学生对复杂自然系统的计算实践和建模。为了验证这一假设，这个研究和开发项目将寻求三个研究问题的答案：(1)随着学生在系统建模的背景下从事计算思维，对现象的科学解释是如何演变的？(2)课程材料和技术工具如何才能最好地为学生的计算思维和系统建模实践的发展奠定基础？以及(3)对于通过对复杂系统建模来培养学生的计算思维，什么教学策略是有效的？在整个项目过程中，将使用各种数据来源和数据分析方法，以指导编写材料，并跟踪在两个学生人口不同的地理位置参与的学生和教师的成果。该项目的总体目标是研究和传播所需的技术、课程和教学支架，以支持学生和教师在系统建模的背景下发展计算思维，并利用系统建模方法探索跨多个STEM学科的现象。为了实现这一目标，该项目将：(1)扩大SageModeler的建模能力和在在线活动交付和报告系统中共享模型的能力；(2)改进和调整现有的课程单元，并根据需要为中学STEM的五个主要学科创建新的单元；(3)研究学生如何在进行系统思维和建模的同时学习；(4)开发具有教育意义的教师材料和专业学习计划，其中包括一个侧重于系统建模和计算思维的专业学习社区；和(5)广泛传播项目产品和研究成果。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。

As computing has become integral to the practice of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the STEM+Computing program seeks to address emerging challenges in computational STEM areas through the applied integration of computational thinking and computing activities within STEM teaching and learning in early childhood education through high school (preK-12). This project is supported by the STEM+C program and will advance its mission by building on the work of a previous project that developed a system modeling tool, SageModeler, for use by middle and high school students. This project will: (1) Extend the capabilities of the modeling tool to scaffold construction of system dynamics models; (2) Develop curricular materials that support students in creating, testing, revising, and sharing dynamic models of natural systems; (3) Research the progression of student modeling practices and computational thinking across curricular contexts; and (4) Study instructional challenges teacher encounter when adopting a model-based approach to teaching topics in physics, chemistry, biology, Earth science, and environmental science at the high school level. The goal of this project is to advance understanding of how student modeling practices and computational thinking develop over time and across investigations of phenomena of increasing complexity. The project will also develop a set of curricular materials that support students in creating, testing, revising, and sharing system dynamic models in order to make sense of complex natural phenomena. The modeling tool and all materials will be made freely available to schools and teachers, and the software has been translated into several languages, including Spanish. With translation options and a tool that is designed to facilitate computational modeling without traditional coding or the writing of mathematical equations, this project has the potential to broaden the participation of a greater diversity of students in STEM and computational thinking. Systems thinking and computational modeling are essential practices for addressing some of the most challenging scientific and societal problems, but systems thinking and causal reasoning are difficult for students. The outcomes of complex system models can be counterintuitive, and it is often difficult to know which components of a system will have significant impacts on outcomes. To facilitate student engagement in modeling complex natural systems, the free, web-based SageModeler tool was developed and tested with middle and high school students. The existing tool is limited, however, in its ability to support the development of reliable models of complex dynamic systems. This project is guided by the hypothesis that student computational practices and modeling of complex natural systems can be improved through use of improved modeling software, development of appropriate curricular scaffolds, and providing teachers with professional learning opportunities to gain relevant pedagogical content knowledge related to system modeling, computational thinking, and the natural phenomena to be explored. To test this hypothesis, this research and development project will pursue answers to three research questions: (1) How do scientific explanations of phenomena evolve as students engage in computational thinking in the context of system modeling? (2) In what ways can curricular materials and technological tools best scaffold the development of students' computational thinking and system modeling practice? And (3) What pedagogical strategies are effective for scaffolding students in computational thinking through modeling complex systems? A variety of data sources and data analytic approaches will be employed throughout the course of the project to guide development of materials and track outcomes among participating students and teachers in two geographic locations having diverse student populations. The overall goal of the project is to research and disseminate technological, curricular, and pedagogical scaffolds needed to support students and teachers in developing computational thinking in the context of system modeling and utilizing a system modeling approach for exploring phenomena across multiple STEM disciplines. In pursuing this goal, the project will: (1) Expand the modeling capabilities of SageModeler and the ability to share models within an online activity delivery and reporting system; (2) Refine and adapt existing curricular units and create new units as needed for five major secondary school STEM disciplines; (3) Conduct research on how students learn while engaging in systems thinking and modeling; (4) Develop educative teacher materials and a professional learning program that includes a professional learning community focusing on system modeling and computational thinking; and (5) Disseminate project products and research findings broadly.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.