Science learning through embodied performances in elementary and middle school

中小学通过具身表演进行科学学习

• 批准号: 1908272
• 负责人: Maria Varelas
• 金额: $ 79.59万
• 依托单位: University of Illinois at Chicago
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-08-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1908272&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Science; learning; through; embodied; performances

There is a need to develop ways of making scientific ideas and practices more accessible to students, in particular students in elementary grades and from populations underrepresented in STEM disciplines. Learning science involves the construction of scientific knowledge and science identities, both of which can be supported by science instruction that integrates scientific practices with theater and literacy practices. This project's approach uses two types of embodied performances: experiential performances that engage learners in using their bodies to physically experience scientific phenomena (e.g., the increase of heart rate during exercise), and dramatic performances where learners act out science ideas (e.g., the sources and impact of air pollution) with gestures, body movement, dances, role-plays, or theater productions. Body movements, positions, and actions along with language and other modes of representation are employed as critical constituents of meaning making, which offer learners opportunities to understand science core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and scientific practices by dramatizing them for and with others. This project is adding to the limited science education literature on the use, value, and impact of embodied performances in science classrooms, and on the brilliance, ingenuity, and science knowledge that all youth, and particularly historically marginalized young people, have and can further develop in urban school classrooms.This project's research focuses on understanding how embodied performances of science concepts and processes can shape classroom science learning, and how their impact is similar and/or different across science topics, elementary and middle school grade levels, and as the school year progresses. It explores the kinds of science ideas students learn, the multimodal literacy practices in which they engage, and the science identities they construct. The research attends to learning for all young people with a specific focus on children from historically marginalized groups in STEM. Using design-based research, the project team (students and teachers in Chicago Public Schools, teaching artists, and researchers) designs embodied performances that are implemented, studied, and revised throughout the project's duration. Ten teachers participate in professional development to learn relevant theater practices (including adaptation, workshopping, and inter- and intra-personal embodiment practices), to strengthen their science understandings, and to learn ways of intertwining both in their teaching. They are subsequently supported by teaching artists through the implementation of various activities in their classrooms, eventually implementing them without any scaffolding. Data sources include fieldnotes during classwork related to embodied performances; written materials, images, sound files, and other digital productions created to enhance, share, expand, and/or support performances; ongoing written student reflections on learning science and the role of embodied performances; regular assessments found in the science curriculum; reflective conversations with student teams about their embodied performances; one-on-one semi-structured interviews with 6 focal students per classroom about science identity development twice in a school year; video of classwork related to embodied performances; and video of science ideas performed by students to school and community audiences. Analyses include structured and focused coding of qualitative data, multimodal discourse analysis, and content analysis. The findings of this research are providing empirical evidence of the value and impact of integrating performing-arts practices into science teaching and learning and the potential of this approach to transform urban science classrooms into spaces where young people from marginalized groups find access to science to engage with it creatively and deeply.The Discovery Research K-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools. Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects.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.

有必要制定方法，使学生，特别是小学年级学生和在科学、技术和经济教育专业中代表性不足的人群更容易接触到科学思想和实践。学习科学涉及构建科学知识和科学认同，这两者都可以通过将科学实践与戏剧和扫盲实践相结合的科学教学来支持。该项目的方法使用两种类型的体验式表演：体验式表演，让学习者使用他们的身体体验科学现象(例如，锻炼时心率增加)，以及戏剧表演，学习者通过手势、身体运动、舞蹈、角色扮演或戏剧作品来表现科学思想(例如，空气污染的来源和影响)。身体动作、姿势和动作以及语言和其他表征方式被用作意义创造的关键组成部分，为学习者提供机会，通过将科学核心思想、交叉概念和科学实践戏剧化地为他人或与他人一起理解它们。这个项目是对有限的科学教育文献的补充，这些文献涉及在科学课堂上具体化表演的使用、价值和影响，以及所有年轻人，特别是历史上被边缘化的年轻人，在城市学校课堂上拥有并能够进一步发展的才华、创造力和科学知识。本项目的研究重点是了解具体化表演的科学概念和过程如何塑造课堂科学学习，以及它们的影响如何在科学主题、小学和中学年级水平上以及随着学年的进步而相似和/或不同。它探索学生学习的科学思想的种类，他们参与的多模式识字实践，以及他们构建的科学身份。这项研究关注所有年轻人的学习，特别关注STEM中历史上被边缘化群体的儿童。利用基于设计的研究，项目团队(芝加哥公立学校的学生和教师、教学艺术家和研究人员)的设计体现了在整个项目持续时间内实施、研究和修改的表演。十名教师参与专业发展，以学习相关的戏剧实践(包括适应、工作购物以及个人间和个人内部的体现实践)，以加强他们的科学理解，并学习如何在教学中将两者结合在一起。他们随后得到教学艺术家的支持，在他们的教室里实施各种活动，最终在没有任何脚手架的情况下实施这些活动。数据来源包括与体验表演有关的课堂笔记；为加强、分享、扩展和/或支持表演而创作的书面材料、图像、声音文件和其他数字产品；学生对学习科学和体验表演的作用的持续书面思考；在科学课程中找到的定期评估；与学生团队就其体验表演进行的反思对话；每个教室对6名重点学生进行的一对一半结构化访谈，内容涉及一学年两次的科学认同发展；与体验表演有关的课堂作业的视频；以及学生向学校和社区观众展示科学思想的视频。分析包括定性数据的结构化和聚焦编码、多通道语篇分析和内容分析。这项研究的结果提供了实证证据，证明了将表演艺术实践融入科学教学和学习的价值和影响，以及这种方法将城市科学课堂转变为空间，使边缘群体的年轻人能够获得创造性和深入参与科学的机会。探索研究K-12项目(DRK-12)旨在通过研究和开发创新资源、模型和工具，显著提高K-12学前班学生和教师的科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)的学习和教学。DRK-12计划中的项目建立在STEM教育的基础研究和先前的研究和开发工作的基础上，为拟议的项目提供了理论和经验上的证明。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。

项目成果

“I. Am. a. Star.”: exploring moments of muchness in children’s digital compositional play and embodied science learning

• DOI: 10.1108/etpc-08-2022-0101
• 发表时间: 2023-05
• 期刊: English Teaching: Practice & Critique
• 作者: Rebecca Woodard;Amanda R. Diaz;N. Phillips;Maria Varelas;Rebecca Kotler;Rachelle Tsachor;Ronan Rock;Miguel Melchor

“Science theatre makes you good at science”: Affordances of embodied performances in urban elementary science classrooms

“科学剧场让你擅长科学”：城市基础科学课堂中具身表演的可供性

• DOI: 10.1002/tea.21735
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: Journal of Research in Science Teaching
• 影响因子: 4.6
• 作者: Varelas, Maria;Kotler, Rebecca T.;Natividad, Hannah D.;Phillips, Nathan C.;Tsachor, Rachelle P.;Woodard, Rebecca;Gutierrez, Marcie;Melchor, Miguel A.;Rosario, Maria
• 通讯作者: Rosario, Maria

Playful disciplinary learning: Using drama to move along with reading, writing, drawing, and talking

有趣的学科学习：利用戏剧与阅读、写作、绘画和交谈一起进行

• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Literacy today
• 作者: Woodard, R.;Kotler, R.;Varelas, M.;Tsachor, R.;Phillips, N.;& Guiterrez, M.
• 通讯作者: & Guiterrez, M.