Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining STEM Pedagogies Using Mixed-Reality Simulations

该项目旨在通过培养本科STEM教育学生的教学能力来服务于国家利益，这种教学方式通过包括使用虚拟化身进行教学的学习模式在文化和语言上得以维持。虽然在家里说英语以外的语言的学生人数继续增长，但英语母语的其他语言（ESOL）学生在K-12学校中一直处于困境，并且在大学和劳动力中的STEM领域代表性不足。美国的大多数STEM教师在ESOL教学中只接受了有限的准备。因此，培养STEM职前教师以更好地为不以英语为主要语言的学生服务至关重要。该项目提供在线模块，以开发在文化和语言上持续的STEM课程，并在整个学习过程中提供有针对性的导师反馈和高质量的混合现实模拟实践。该项目的预期成果是提高本科生制定文化和语言上持续的STEM课程的能力，因为它们支持在家里说英语以外的另一种语言的学生的学习，以及发展有效的以实践为基础的教师教育学习经验，包括可复制的在线教学活动。项目目标包括：发展本科STEM教育学生的文化和语言支持STEM教学实践和2）理解与混合现实模拟的在线学习模型对他们的文化和语言支持STEM教学的改进的影响。本项目采用混合方法研究设计。发展教学专业知识不仅需要学习知识和观察示范教学，而且需要有目的的实践，批判性反思和重点反馈。与典型的教师教育计划相比，职前教师在他们的课程中学习知识和概念，并在退出计划时体验实际教学，体验式学习模式在一开始就提供“经验”，以便STEM职前教师可以认识到他们现有的实践，通过有目的的学习进行，并制定更有效的概念建设。通过该项目开发的数学和科学模拟中包括多语言化身。此外，嵌入多个混合现实模拟机会与集中的导师反馈提供了高质量的实践机会，有目的地分布在整个职前教师学习计划。混合现实模拟与指导的目的是提供职前STEM教师有机会实践的思维方式，参加STEM语言需求的多层次概念化和学习者的买入关于文化的融合以及复杂的实施技能的发展。这一项目的成果将通过专业渠道传播（即，国家和地方会议以及同行评审期刊），NSF STEM for All视频展示和计划网站。该项目有可能使STEM教育界受益，使STEM教师为多文化和多语言课堂做好准备，最终将改善所有学生的教育公平。NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。通过学生的学习轨道，该计划支持创建，探索和实施有前途的做法和工具。 部分资金来自罗伯特·诺伊斯教师奖学金计划。该奖项反映了NSF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。

This project aims to serve the national interest by developing undergraduate STEM education students’ ability to teach in a way that is culturally and linguistically sustaining through a learning model that includes practicing teaching with virtual avatars. While the number of students who speak a language other than English at home continues to grow, English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students have persistently floundered in K-12 schools and are underrepresented particularly in STEM fields in both college and the workforce. Most STEM teachers in the United States have received only limited preparation in ESOL instruction. Therefore, it is critical to prepare STEM pre-service teachers to better serve students who do not speak English as their primary language. This project provides online modules to develop culturally and linguistically sustaining STEM pedagogies with focused mentor feedback and high-quality mixed-reality simulation practices throughout the learning sequence. Anticipated outcomes of this project are the improvement of undergraduate students’ ability to enact culturally and linguistically sustaining STEM pedagogies as they support learning of students who speak another language than English at home, as well as the development of effective practice-based teacher education learning experiences including replicable online instructional activities.Project goals include 1) developing undergraduate STEM education students’ culturally and linguistically sustaining STEM teaching practices and 2) understanding effects of an online learning model with mixed-reality simulations on their improvement of culturally and linguistically sustaining STEM teaching. This project uses a mixed-methods research design. Developing instructional expertise requires not only learning knowledge and observing exemplary teaching but also purposeful practices with critical reflection and focused feedback. Compared to a typical teacher education program in which pre-service teachers learn the knowledge and concepts in their coursework and experience actual teaching toward exiting the program, the experiential learning model provides "experience" in the very beginning so that STEM pre-service teachers can recognize their existing practices, proceed through purposeful learning, and develop more effective concept building. Multilingual avatars are included in the mathematics and science simulations developed through this project. In addition, embedding multiple mixed-reality simulation opportunities with focused mentor feedback provides high-quality practice opportunities purposefully distributed throughout the pre-service teachers program of study. The mixed-reality simulations with mentoring are designed to provide the pre-service STEM teachers with opportunities to practice pedagogies that attend to the multi-layered conceptualization of language demands in STEM and learners' buy-in regarding incorporation of culture as well as complex implementation skill development. Results of this project are to be disseminated through professional avenues (i.e., national and local conferences and peer-reviewed journals), the NSF STEM for All video showcase, and a program website. The project has the potential to benefit the STEM education community by preparing STEM teachers for multicultural and multilingual classrooms, which will eventually improve educational equity for all students. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. Partial funding is from the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program.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.