Collaborative Research: The Smart Playground: Computational Thinking through Robotics in Early Childhood

技术和计算在孩子们的生活中越来越重要，在早年培养计算思维的基础技能是国家的当务之急。幼儿可以通过游戏和在支持他们的文化习俗和特性的教育环境中学习最好。这个Discovery Research PreK-12计划(DRK-12)项目将共同创建和研究一个名为“智能游乐场”的室外机器人增强游乐场和相应的一系列课堂课程。智能游乐场将与拉丁裔家庭和教育工作者共同设计，以鼓励幼儿(幼儿园)发展计算思维技能，并在物理环境中使用文化支持的方法学习机器人技术。该项目将在一个低收入、以拉丁裔为主的学区改造现有的操场，安装电路板、传感器和执行器。这些板将允许年幼的孩子规划他们的游乐场，以不同的方式与他们互动。通过使用操场结构的编程活动，孩子们将学习基本的计算思维技能。此外，通过与拉丁裔家庭和教育工作者共同设计，该项目将把技术和活动集中在家庭的日常生活、价值观和文化知识基金中。研究和评估将考察接触智能游乐场和相应的课堂活动是否对幼儿的计算思维发展产生影响。该项目将有助于在幼儿教育中发展机器人这一新兴领域，解决以适合发展和文化可持续的方式利用技术和有关技术进行教学的新方法的需要。这项工作将提高对早期机器人的认识，发展儿童的计算思维技能和STEM身份，并将学习机会整合到儿童在操场、教室和公共场所的体验中。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。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，这些研究和开发工作为拟议的项目提供了理论和经验证明。该项目旨在创建和测试一种创新的教育方法，将STEM学习体验带给服务不足的年轻人。该项目将采用文化可持续发展的方法，与来自加利福尼亚州圣安娜的约500名拉美裔幼儿园学生及其教师和家庭一起，共同设计、增强和评估智能游乐场，以促进计算思维。使用基于设计的实施研究方法和各种参与式设计技术，该项目将创建几个智能游乐场的原型和相应的课堂活动。这项工作以以下研究问题为指导：1)使用智能游乐场对儿童的计算思维有什么影响？智能游乐场中的各种设计元素如何支持儿童计算思维的不同方面的发展？在联合设计活动中，圣安娜的拉丁裔儿童、教师和家庭建议以哪些方式将当地、文化和学习实践融入智能游乐场？在基线、实施和后续阶段，管理学生在计算思维方面获得的广泛的定量和定性数据将为设计-测试-重新设计的迭代过程提供信息。该项目还将收集、转录和分析观察、访谈和会议记录，以形成对智能游乐场元素的文化维系设计和重新设计的主题见解。最终，这个项目将产生一套基于证据的原型和课程，促进计算思维，并从拉丁裔儿童的文化优势中建立起。设计和课程将优先考虑可用和可扩展的材料，以便在全国和世界各地的教室和操场创造有趣的计算思维机会。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。

Technology and computing are increasingly central in the lives of children, and building foundational skills in computational thinking in the early years is a national imperative. Young children can learn best through play and in educational environments that sustain their cultural practices and identities. This Discovery Research preK-12 program (DRK-12) project will co-create and study an outdoor robotic-augmented playground called the “Smart Playground” and a corresponding series of classroom lessons. The Smart Playground will be co-designed with Latinx families and educators to engage young children (kindergarten) in developing computational thinking skills and learning about robotics in a physical environment using a culturally sustaining approach. The project will retrofit existing playgrounds in a low-income, predominantly Latinx school district with circuit boards, sensors, and actuators. These boards will allow young children to program their playground to interact with them in different ways. By programming activities that use the playground structures, children will learn foundational computational thinking skills. Further, through co-designing with Latinx families and educators the project will center the technology and activities in families’ routines, values, and cultural funds of knowledge. Research and evaluation will examine whether exposure to the Smart Playground and corresponding classroom activities have an impact on the development of computational thinking in young children. This project will contribute to the emerging field of robotics in early childhood education by addressing the need for new approaches to teach with and about technology in a developmentally appropriate and culturally sustaining way. This work will increase awareness of early robotics, develop children’s computational thinking skills and STEM identities, and integrate learning opportunities throughout children’s experiences in playgrounds, classrooms, and public spaces. 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 project aims to create and test an innovative educational approach for bringing STEM learning experiences to underserved youth. Using a culturally sustaining approach, this project will co-design, augment, and evaluate the Smart Playground to promote computational thinking with approximately 500 Latinx kindergarten students and their teachers and families from Santa Ana, CA. Using a Design Based Implementation Research approach and a variety of participatory design techniques, this project will create several prototypes of the Smart Playground and corresponding classroom activities. This work is guided by the following research questions: 1.) What is the impact of engaging with the Smart Playground on children’s computational thinking? 2.) How do varied design elements in the Smart Playground support the development of different aspects of computational thinking among children? 3.) In what ways do Latinx children, teachers, and families in Santa Ana propose to integrate local, cultural, and learning practices into the Smart Playground during co-design activities? A wide range of quantitative and qualitative data governing student gains in computational thinking during baseline, implementation, and follow-up phases will inform the iterative process of design-test-redesign. The project will also collect, transcribe, and analyze observations, interviews, and meeting records to develop thematic insights into culturally sustaining designs and re-design of the Smart Playground elements. Ultimately, this project will result in an evidenced based set of prototypes and lessons that promote computational thinking and build from the cultural strengths of Latinx children. Designs and lessons will prioritize usable and scalable materials to create playful computational thinking opportunities in classrooms and playgrounds across the country and the world.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.