EAGER: Physics of Living Systems Teacher (PoLST) Network: Increasing Student Conceptual Understanding of High School Physics

PI将开展探索性研究，为建立全国高中物理网络奠定基础，目标是开发“生命系统物理”高中物理课程，以提高高中物理学生的概念理解能力。在2020年7月的哈佛虚拟研讨会期间，进行了一系列评估高中物理教学状况的调查。本次研讨会的一部分参与者将被选中并邀请加入生命系统物理教师（PoLST）网络的第一批。该网络将与已经建立的nsf赞助的研究生PoLS网络密切合作。目标是建立一个可持续的实践社区，以提高所有学生对高中物理概念的理解，特别是那些传统上在物理方面代表性不足的学生。这是一项变革性的研究，因为PI挑战了这样一种假设，即物理教育研究人员是可以简单地将在大学水平上有效的东西强加给高中环境的专家。这是高风险的，因为我们相信高中教师对他们的专业有重要的知识，并且他们愿意与物理教育研究人员分享这些知识。与其对高中物理教育采取以赤字为基础的方法，PI将开始一场富有成效和重点的对话，从而与教师和研究人员建立真正的伙伴关系。为了实现这一目标，PI将采用基于设计的研究方法。我们迫切需要增加能够在大学科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）课程中取得成功的合格高中生的数量。在这个时候，掌握物理是至关重要的，因为物理对于有兴趣从事任何STEM专业的学生来说都是至关重要的。了解如何利用高中物理教师和物理研究生之间的协作网络来开发课程，以增加学生对物理概念的理解，从而减少离开STEM的本科生数量，这有可能改善美国培养STEM专业人才的长期前景。目标是以一种基础的、长期的和系统的方式进行，所有相关的利益相关者群体都有代表。通过利用高中物理教师和物理研究生网络，在高中阶段提高对概念物理的理解，将影响学生在参加大学科学课程时在STEM方面取得成功的准备程度。在高中阶段接受高质量物理教育的学生将更有能力选择STEM专业并取得成功，从而在医学、研究、政府机构、环境科学等领域开辟职业道路。这些类型的职业定位于解决我们星球上一些最严重的威胁。该项目还将通过缩小学生进入大学后在物理准备方面的差距，影响多样性和包容性的努力。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。

The PI will carry out exploratory research to lay the foundation for the establishment of a national high school physics network, with the goal of developing a Physics of Living Systems high school physics curriculum to increase high school physics student conceptual understanding. A set of surveys to assess the state of high-school physics teaching was administered during the Harvard Virtual Workshop in July of 2020. A subset of participants from this workshop will be selected and invited to join the first cohort of the Physics of Living Systems Teacher (PoLST) network. The network will operate in close collaboration with the already-established NSF-sponsored graduate student PoLS network. The goal is to establish a sustainable community of practice to improve conceptual understanding of physics at the high school level for all students, particularly those who are traditionally underrepresented in physics. This is transformative research because the PI challenges the assumption that physics educational researchers are the experts who can simply impose what works at the university level to high school contexts. It is high-risk because we are entrusting that high school teachers have important knowledge about their professions and that they will be willing to share this knowledge with physics education researchers. Rather than taking a deficit-based approach to high school physics education, the PI will to start a productive and focused conversation that leads to authentic partnerships with teachers and researchers. To accomplish this, the PI will take a design-based research approach.There is tremendous need to increase the number of qualified high school students who will be ready to succeed in college science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses. Mastery of physics is critical at this time because physics is central for students interested in pursuing any number of STEM professions. Understanding both how to leverage collaborative networks between high school physics teachers and physics graduate students to develop a curriculum that can increase student conceptual physics understanding, and consequently reduce the number of undergraduate students who leave STEM, has the potential to improve the long-term outlook of the nation's preparation of STEM professionals. The goal is to do so in a foundational, long-term, and systematic manner where all relevant stake-holder groups are represented. Increasing conceptual physics understanding at the high school level, by leveraging a high school physics teacher and physics graduate student network, will impact how prepared students are to succeed in STEM when they enroll in university science courses. Students with access to quality physics education at the high school level will be better equipped to select and succeed in STEM majors, thus opening a career trajectory in medicine, research, governmental agencies, environmental sciences, to name a few. These types of careers are positioned to address some of our planet's most critical threats. The project will also impact diversity and inclusion efforts by diminishing gaps in physics preparedness when students get to the university level.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.