Preparing Secondary STEM Teachers with Experiential Learning and Computational Thinking Skills for Effectiveness in High-Need School Districts

为中学 STEM 教师提供体验式学习和计算思维技能，以提高高需求学区的效率

• 批准号: 1852700
• 负责人: Sean Freeland
• 金额: $ 120万
• 依托单位: Carlow University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-04-15 至 2025-03-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1852700&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Preparing; Secondary; STEM; Teachers; Experiential

With support from the NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, this Track 1 Scholarships and Stipends project aims to serve the national interest in preparing high-quality STEM teachers. It will do so by recruiting undergraduate STEM majors and STEM professionals and preparing them to become STEM teachers. In partnership with Pittsburgh Public Schools, Carlow University seeks to prepare 26 highly effective biology, chemistry, and mathematics secondary education teachers. The secondary education program in STEM at Carlow University is a five-year, master's degree program. Consequently, STEM majors in their junior year and STEM professionals will be recruited to enter the program. The STEM majors will receive three years of scholarship support as they complete a baccalaureate degree and a master's degree in secondary education. The STEM professionals will receive one year of support as they complete a master's degree in secondary education. The Noyce Scholars will have multiple opportunities to engage in experiential learning, with an emphasis on developing computational thinking skills. These learning opportunities include workshops, and weeklong courses. Their teaching skills will be enhanced with training about restorative justice practices and culturally responsive teaching to prepare them to teach successfully in high-need classrooms. Successful passage of the Noyce Scholars into teaching careers will be supported by a team of advisors that includes STEM and education mentors, a teacher-mentor from Pittsburgh Public Schools, and a coach that works with the Scholar from enrollment through the first three years of teaching.The project intends to recruit and enroll 12 biology, chemistry, and mathematics undergraduates as Noyce Scholars between 2019-21 and 14 STEM professionals between 2019-23. To help prepare the Noyce Scholars to be successful in supporting diverse learners in high-need school districts, the Carlow University program will include coursework that includes issues of social justice, positive behavioral supports, restorative justice practices in schools, culturally responsive pedagogy, universal design, individualized learning, trauma-informed teaching practices, classroom design and instructional techniques to support students with disabilities, and content specific literacy practices to support English Language Learners. Noyce Scholars with complete practicums and student teaching in Pittsburgh Public Schools. The project will develop, apply, and assess best practices in experiential learning, with an emphasis on computational thinking, which is a method of problem solving developed in computer science that has a broad application across disciplines. It involves the applicable concepts of decomposition of large problems into smaller parts, abstraction of relevant pieces, identification of similarities to already solved problems, and development of algorithms. Results of project evaluation and research activities should generate new knowledge that will contribute to best practices in recruiting and preparing highly effective STEM teachers for careers in high-need schools. The research study intends to address gaps in the literature about the impact of computational thinking training on the effectiveness of pre-service teachers, on secondary education, and whether pre-service and in-service coaching enhances teacher proficiency in computational thinking. Carlow University is a longstanding member of large local educational consortia in the region, which will enable swift and comprehensive dissemination of project findings. The program has the potential to help address the high-need STEM teaching shortages in the local community and region. The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 STEM teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts.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.

在国家科学基金会罗伯特·诺伊斯教师奖学金计划的支持下，这一Track 1奖学金和津贴项目旨在服务于培养高质量STEM教师的国家利益。为此，它将招聘本科生STEM专业人员和STEM专业人员，并为他们成为STEM教师做好准备。与匹兹堡公立学校合作，卡洛大学寻求培养26名高效的生物、化学和数学中等教育教师。卡洛大学的STEM中学教育课程是一个五年制的硕士学位课程。因此，STEM专业的大三学生和STEM专业人员将被招募进入该项目。STEM专业的学生在完成中学教育的学士学位和硕士学位后，将获得三年的奖学金支持。STEM专业人员将在完成中学教育硕士学位后获得一年的支持。诺伊斯学者将有多种机会参与体验式学习，重点是发展计算思维技能。这些学习机会包括研讨会和为期一周的课程。他们的教学技能将通过关于恢复性司法做法的培训和适应文化的教学而得到加强，使他们做好在急需的课堂上成功授课的准备。诺伊斯奖学金成功进入教师职业生涯将得到一个顾问团队的支持，该团队包括STEM和教育导师，匹兹堡公立学校的一名教师导师，以及一名与诺伊斯学者一起工作的教练。该项目计划在2019-21年间招募12名生物、化学和数学本科生作为诺伊斯学者，并在2019-23年间招募14名STEM专业人员。为了帮助诺伊斯学者计划成功地支持高需求学区的不同学习者，卡洛大学的计划将包括课程作业，其中包括社会正义、积极的行为支持、学校的恢复性司法实践、响应文化的教育学、普遍设计、个性化学习、创伤信息教学实践、支持残疾学生的课堂设计和教学技术，以及支持英语学习者的具体识字实践。诺伊斯学者在匹兹堡公立学校有完整的实践和学生教学。该项目将开发、应用和评估体验式学习的最佳实践，重点是计算思维，这是一种在计算机科学中发展起来的解决问题的方法，在各学科中有广泛的应用。它涉及将大问题分解为较小部分、抽象相关部分、识别与已解决问题的相似性以及开发算法等适用概念。项目评价和研究活动的结果应产生新的知识，有助于在招聘和培养高需求学校的高效STEM教师方面采取最佳做法。这项研究旨在解决关于计算思维培训对职前教师的有效性、对中学教育的影响以及职前和在职辅导是否提高教师计算思维熟练程度的文献空白。卡洛大学是该地区大型地方教育联盟的长期成员，这将使项目结果能够迅速和全面地传播。该计划有可能帮助解决当地社区和地区迫切需要的STEM教学短缺问题。Noyce计划支持有才华的STEM本科专业和专业人员成为有效的K-12 STEM教师，并支持经验丰富、模范的K-12 STEM教师成为高需求学区的STEM硕士教师。它还支持对高需求学区K-12 STEM教师的持久性、保留率和有效性的研究。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。