Biomimicry as an authentic anchor: Giving teachers the tools to adapt an interdisciplinary middle school curriculum

仿生学作为真正的锚点：为教师提供适应跨学科中学课程的工具

• 批准号: 2300433
• 负责人: Debra Bernstein
• 金额: $ 150.53万
• 依托单位: TERC Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-01 至 2026-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2300433&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Biomimicry; authentic; anchor; Giving; teachers

Integrating STEM subjects in middle school is beneficial for student learning and can help prepare students for the STEM workplace. This project builds capacity for middle school teachers to enact and adapt integrated STEM curriculum units with their students. The units will focus on biomimicry - examining structures and functions found in nature and applying these to solve human problems, which combines science, engineering, and technology. The use of biology as a basis for engineering design and problem-solving authentically mirrors current practice of professional engineers and roboticists. The project enables teachers to design activities that are personally authentic to their students, by supporting teachers to examine their students' assets, needs, and interests and center these during unit design. The project's modular curriculum approach provides multiple points of entry for teachers and students in different disciplines and allows teachers to choose the level of technological complexity they are comfortable enacting. Providing teachers with the tools to enact integrated STEM instruction supports learning through their engagement with the cross-cutting concept of structure-function analysis, as well as key practices in science, engineering, and computing as described in the Next Generation Science Standards. This project is developing a professional development model that supports teachers first to plan and adapt curriculum materials that are cohesive and modular, and then to effectively use the materials to enact integrated science and engineering lessons that are professionally and personally authentic to their students. The researchers expect that over time, the professional development will increase the level of technology that teachers are comfortable integrating. The project works with 20 teachers and approximately 1000 students at school sites in Indiana, Maine, and Massachusetts. This project employs a mixed-methods research design to build new knowledge in the fields of science, engineering, and computing education by: (1) identifying the skills and resources that impact middle school teachers' planning for integrated STEM instruction; (2) characterizing how a situated and modular approach to materials design and professional development supports teachers' design and instructional choices over time; and (3) documenting how the curriculum features of cohesion across disciplines and authentic learning experiences impact student learning of content and practices in science, engineering, and computational thinking, including the overarching concept of structure-function analysis. The Discovery Research preK-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics 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.

在中学中整合STEM学科对学生的学习是有益的，可以帮助学生为STEM工作场所做好准备。该项目为中学教师提供了与学生制定和适应综合STEM课程单元的能力。 这些单位将着重于仿生 - 检查自然界中发现的结构和功能，并将其应用于结合科学，工程和技术的人类问题。生物学用作工程设计和解决问题的基础，实际上反映了专业工程师和机器人的当前实践。 该项目使教师能够通过支持教师检查学生的资产，需求和兴趣，并在单位设计期间以这些活动来设计对学生个人真实的活动。该项目的模块化课程方法为不同学科的教师和学生提供了多个入学点，并允许教师选择他们舒适制定的技术复杂性水平。 为教师提供制定综合STEM指导的工具，通过参与结构功能分析的跨切割概念以及下一代科学标准中所述的科学，工程和计算的关键实践来支持学习。该项目正在开发一种专业发展模型，该模型首先支持教师计划和适应具有凝聚力和模块化的课程材料，然后有效地使用材料来制定对学生专业和个人真实的综合科学和工程课程。研究人员预计，随着时间的流逝，专业发展将提高教师舒适整合的技术水平。该项目与印第安纳州，缅因州和马萨诸塞州的学校站点的20名老师和大约1000名学生合作。该项目采用混合方法研究设计，在科学，工程和计算教育领域建立新知识，作者：（1）确定影响中学教师计划综合STEM教学计划的技能和资源； （2）表征材料设计和专业发展的位置和模块化方法如何支持教师的设计和教学选择； （3）记录跨学科和真实学习经验的凝聚力的课程特征如何影响学生对科学，工程和计算思维中内容和实践的学习，包括结构功能分析的总体概念。 Discovery Research Prek-12计划（DRK-12）试图通过研究和开发创新资源，模型和工具来显着增强PreK-12学生和教师对科学，技术，工程和数学的学习和教学。 DRK-12计划中的项目基于STEM教育和先前的研发工作的基础研究，为拟议项目提供了理论和经验的理由。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的审查标准通过评估来进行评估的。