Integrating Computation into Science Teaching and Learning in Grades 6-8

由于计算在STEM学科中的强大创新和应用，STEM+C项目解决了从小学到高中（pre-K-12）学生对现实世界、跨学科和计算准备的迫切需求。该项目将推进新的跨学科计算STEM教与学方法的研究和开发，这些方法将整合中等水平的地球、生命和物理科学教育领域。该项目将解决农村学校获得STEM的农村教育问题。此外，学生和老师都将被提升到在缅因州最偏远地区的中学生中应用计算现象的速度。本计划将调查教师在科学教学中整合计算机所需的专业学习经验和教学内容知识。这项研究将形成一个以证据为基础的专业发展模式，并为中级STEM+C整合提供课程支持。一项随机对照试验将提供有关这种整合对学生学习计算机和STEM的影响的知识。这项工作将包括创建三个经过审查的模块，将计算机与中学科学结合起来，并开设一门研究生课程，帮助未来的教师为有效的整合做好准备。本研究的结果和产品将传播给致力于理解和实施计算与STEM教学整合的研究人员和从业者社区。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。

As a result of the powerful innovation and application of computing in STEM disciplines, the STEM+C program addresses an urgent need for real-world, interdisciplinary, and computational preparation of students from the early grades through high school (pre-K-12). This project will advance research and development of new transdisciplinary approaches to computational STEM teaching and learning that will integrate the fields of education at the middle grade levels in earth, life, and physical sciences. This project will address the rural education issue of access to STEM by rural schools. Moreover, both students and teachers will be brought up to speed in computational phenomena applied to middle school youth in one of the most rural locations in the State of Maine. This project will investigate the professional learning experiences and pedagogical content knowledge that teachers need in order to integrate computing in their teaching of science. The research will lead to an evidence-based model of professional development and curricular supports for STEM+C integration at the middle level. A randomized controlled trial will provide knowledge about the impacts of this integration on student learning of computing and STEM. The work will include creation of three vetted modules to integrate computing with middle-school science and a graduate course to help prepare future will teachers for effective integration. Findings and products from this study will be disseminated to researchers and practitioner communities working to understand and implement integration of computing with STEM teaching and learning.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.