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

合作研究：智能游乐场：幼儿期通过机器人进行计算思维

• 批准号: 2301249
• 负责人: Chris Rogers
• 金额: $ 70万
• 依托单位: Tufts University
• 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 2027-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2301249&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Smart; Playground; Computational

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.

技术和计算在儿童生活中越来越核心，早期的计算思维中建立基础技能是国家的当务之急。幼儿可以通过游戏和维持其文化实践和身份的教育环境中学习最佳。这个发现研究PREK-12计划（DRK-12）项目将共同创建并研究一个名为“智能游乐场”的户外机器人演奏场，以及一系列相应的课堂课程。智能游乐场将与拉丁裔家庭和教育者共同设计，以吸引幼儿（幼儿园），以使用文化维持的方法在物理环境中开发计算思维技能和学习机器人技术。该项目将在低收入，主要是拉丁文学区的现有游乐场，其中有巡回板，传感器和执行器。这些董事会将使幼儿以不同的方式对其游乐场进行编程，以与他们进行互动。通过使用操场结构的编程活动，孩子们将学习基础计算思维技能。此外，通过与拉丁裔家庭和教育工作者共同设计该项目将以家庭的常规，价值观和文化资金为中心。研究和评估将检查接触智能操场和相应的课堂活动是否会影响幼儿计算思维的发展。该项目将通过满足新方法的需求以及以一种适当的文化和文化维持的方式来促进幼儿教育的新兴领域。这项工作将提高人们对早期机器人技术的认识，发展儿童的计算思维能力和STEM身份，并在儿童在操场，教室和公共场所中的经验中综合学习机会。 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学生和教师的科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）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，为拟议的项目提供了理论和经验的理由。该项目旨在创建和测试一种创新的教育方法，以将STEM学习经验带来不足的青年。使用文化维持的方法，该项目将与大约500名拉丁裔幼儿园学生及其老师和家人共同设计，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设计技术，该项目将创建几种智能操场和相应的课堂活动的原型。这项工作以以下研究问题为指导：1。）与智能游乐场互动对儿童计算思维的影响是什么？ 2.）智能游乐场中的各种设计元素如何支持儿童计算思维不同方面的发展？ 3.）在共同设计期间，圣安娜的拉丁儿童，老师和家庭在什么方面将本地，文化和学习实践纳入智能游乐场？在基线，实施和后续阶段，涉及学生在计算思维方面获得的广泛定量和定性数据将为设计测试测试重新设计的迭代过程提供信息。该项目还将收集，转录和分析观察结果，访谈和会议记录，以开发有关智能游乐场元素的文化维持设计和重新设计的主题见解。最终，该项目将导致一组基于证据的原型和经验教训，这些原型促进了计算思维，并从拉丁裔儿童的文化优势中建立。设计和课程将优先考虑可用且可扩展的材料，以在全国和世界各地的教室和游乐场创造嬉戏的计算思维机会。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过基金会的知识分子的智力优点和更广泛的影响来评估NSF的法定任务。