Exploring the Integration of Systems Thinking in Biology in Participatory Professional Development

该项目将开发一种教师专业学习(PL)模式，重点关注中学生物科学在解决现实世界问题方面的作用。系统思维是理解生物系统的核心。游戏设计已被证明有助于发展教师和学生的系统思维。学生将参与PL，通过分享他们的计算机知识来说明分布式专业知识的价值。教师将调整他们现有的课程，并将与学生共同设计游戏，体验参与式实践。PL模式包括36小时的同步面对面和在线活动，包括夏季连续四天六小时的活动和整个学年四次三小时的课程。该项目将与14名教师合作，在三年内多次实施，涉及约1900名学生。参与式课堂将增强所有学生将自己视为熟练和坚持不懈的学习者的能力。通过该课程，教师将掌握运用系统思维来解释和理解生物系统的运作，将游戏设计融入现有课程，以加强学生应用系统思维技能来学习生物系统，以及参与实践。该模式扩大了学生参与学习过程的机会，从而更好地理解了他们在使用计算工具时对教师教学的影响。项目研究具有发展新知识的潜力，包括我们对与NGSS一致的教学和学习的理解，对科学内容的理解(特别是与生物多样性有关)，以及最终学生的学习、代理和行动。项目将研究PL如何有助于教师学习，教师在采用和使用项目工具支持学生学习生物系统时，教学方法如何变化，以及学生如何学习生物系统和提高系统思维技能。该模式的理论和研究框架基于：(1)生物学中的系统与游戏设计是如何协同的；(2)学生在学习中的重要性；(3)实施参与式实践。这项混合方法研究将包括基于设计的研究(DBR)，以反复测试和修订PL模型，该模型确定教师学习环境中结构性支持元素之间的关系，包括工具、任务结构、参与者结构和话语实践。猜想映射法将被用在DBR的循环中，以检验参与式PD学习环境支持教师将游戏设计整合为建构性学习机会的假设，以便学生参与系统并从系统中学习。项目研究将以以下问题为指导：(1)公共语言学习环境的要素如何有助于教师的学习？(2)教师如何使用项目提供的工具(游戏、设计和参与式实践)来支持学生学习生物系统，这将如何改变他们的教学方法？以及(3)设计游戏如何帮助学生学习生物系统和发展系统思维技能？将对定性和定量数据进行三角划分，以解决每个研究问题，并对结果进行可靠性检查。定性数据，如现场笔记、录音和录像、访谈、教师和学生人工制品、日志和开放式调查和评估问题，将通过代码进行分析，这些代码代表与PL和课堂中的学生和教师经验相关的预期主题和模式。量化数据，包括教师调查李克特量表问题，实施日志，以及学生评估和游戏规则，将使用重复测量方差分析，以检查教师和学生在任职前的变化。该项目的研究成果和实践将通过会议报告和出版物广泛传播给教师、管理人员和研究人员。该项目还将创建一本“手册”，使教育工作者能够自由地借鉴和修改项目中使用的工具和程序，以适应当地的情况和社区的需要。探索研究PREK-12计划(DRK-12)旨在通过研究和开发创新资源、模型和工具，显著提高Pre-K-12学生和教师在科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)方面的学习和教学。 -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。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

The project will develop a teacher professional learning (PL) model that focuses on middle-school biological sciences in addressing real world problems. Systems thinking is central to understanding biology systems. Game design has been shown to help develop systems thinking in teachers and students. Students will participate in PL to illustrate the value of distributed expertise by sharing their knowledge of computer. Teachers will adapt their existing curriculum and will co-design games with students to experience participatory practices. The PL model includes 36 hours of synchronous in-person and online activities, including four consecutive six-hour days in the summer and four three-hour sessions throughout the school year. The project will work with 14 teachers with multiple implementations over three years, involving approximately 1,900 students. Participatory classrooms will enhance the capacity of all students to see themselves as skilled and persistent learners. Through the PL, teachers will become knowledgeable about applying systems thinking to interpret and understand the functioning of biology systems, integrating game design in their existing lessons to enhance student application of systems thinking skills to learning about biological systems, and engaging in participatory practices. The model expands opportunities for students to be involved in the PL process, resulting in a better understanding of their impact on teacher pedagogy when using computational tools. Project research has the potential for developing new knowledge on our understanding of NGSS-aligned teaching and learning, science content understanding (specifically related to biodiversity), and ultimately student learning, agency, and action.The project will research how the PL contributes to teacher learning and how teachers’ pedagogy changes as they take up and use project tools to support student learning about biological systems, and how students learn about biology systems and improve systems thinking skills. The theoretical and research framework for this PL model is grounded in: (1) how systems in biology and game design are synergistic, (2) the importance of students’ presence in Pl, and (3) enacting participatory practices. This mixed methods study will include design-based research (DBR) to iteratively test and revise a PL model that identifies relationships between structural support elements, including tools, task structures, participant structures, and discursive practices, in a teacher learning environment. Conjecture mapping approach will be used in cycles of DBR to test the hypothesis that a participatory PD learning environment supports teachers in integrating game design as a constructionist learning opportunity for students to engage with and learn from systems. Project research will be guided by the following questions: (1) How do the elements of the PL learning environment contribute to teacher learning? (2) How do teachers use the tools provided by the project (game, design, and participatory practices) to support student learning about biological systems and how does this change their pedagogy? and (3) How does designing a game help students learn about biology systems and develop skills in systems thinking? Qualitative and quantitative data will be triangulated to address each research question and to provide a reliability check on findings. Qualitative data, such as fieldnotes, audio and video recordings, interviews, teacher and student artifacts, logs, and open-ended survey and assessment questions will be analyzed through codes that represent expected themes and patterns related to student and teacher experiences in PL and in the classroom. Quantitative data, including teacher survey Likert scale questions, implementation logs, and student assessment and game rubrics, will be analyzed using repeated measure ANOVA to examine pre-post changes in teachers and students. Research findings and practices from the project will be widely disseminated to teachers, administrators, and researchers through conference presentations and publications. The project will also create a “playbook” that will enable educators to freely draw on and modify the tools and processes utilized in the project for their local contexts and community needs. The Discovery Research preK-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.