Epidemiology and the Energy Balance Equation

描述（由申请人提供）：本项目的长期目标是：1)创建一门名为《流行病学和能量平衡方程》的课程，通过探索体育活动和饮食的模式及其对健康的影响，培养中学生对流行病学科学的理解；2)通过举办专业发展研讨会，为教师讲授课程做好准备；3)通过确定课程与提高科学素养、科学探究能力、对流行病学的理解、对体育活动和饮食及其健康后果的认识以及对科学和公共卫生事业的兴趣的增加之间的联系程度来评价课程；4)通过在初中和高中以及各种场所由科学、数学和卫生教师讲授课程来传播课程。课程将基于“逆向设计”课程开发原则创建，该原则要求首先确定流行病学的“持久理解”，然后开发“真实评估”，以确定学生何时掌握了这些理解，最后，使用持久理解和真实评估作为设计规范，规划将构成流行病学和能量平衡方程课程的学习经验。一个由来自五个不同学区的10对科学教师组成的实地测试小组将通过参加为期三周的专业发展研讨会，为他们教授课程做好准备。在此期间，每个学区的成对教师将与10名学生一组对整个课程进行试点测试。课程将在课后流行病学和公共卫生俱乐部对课程进行实地测试，这些俱乐部由实地测试小组教师领导。在实地测试中，采用测试前/测试后、实验组/对照组研究设计，我们将检验以下假设：接触课程将提高科学素养、科学探究能力、对流行病学的理解、对体育活动和饮食及其健康后果的认识，以及提高对公共卫生科学和职业的兴趣。根据上述经验，将修订课程，在流行病学和能量平衡方程网站上公布，并通过利用政府管制、在专业会议上介绍、举办专业发展讲习班和调整课程以供特定受众使用等方式加以传播。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The broad, long-term objectives of this project are to: 1) create a curriculum, called Epidemiology and the Energy Balance Equation, that develops middle school students' understanding of the science of epidemiology by exploring patterns of physical activity and diet and their health consequences; 2) prepare teachers to teach the curriculum by conducting professional development workshops; 3) evaluate the curriculum by determining the degree to which it is associated with improved scientific literacy, abilities in scientific inquiry, understanding of epidemiology, and knowledge of the physical activity and diet and their health consequences, and increased interest in science and careers in public health; and 4) disseminate the curriculum by having it taught by science, mathematics, and health teachers, in both middle and high school, and in a variety of venues. The curriculum will be created based on "backward design" curriculum development principles that call for first identifying epidemiology's "enduring understandings," then developing "authentic assessments" that will determine when students have grasped those understandings, and lastly, using the enduring understandings and authentic assessments as design specifications, for planning the learning experiences that will constitute the Epidemiology and the Energy Balance Equation curriculum. A Field-Testing Team, consisting of 10 pairs of science teachers from five different school districts, will prepare them to teach the curriculum by participating in a three-week, professional development workshop, during which each school-district pair of teachers will pilot-test the entire curriculum with groups of 10 students. The curriculum will field-test the curriculum in after-school Epidemiology and Public Health Clubs that are led by the Field-Testing Team teachers. During the field-test, using a pre-test / post-test, experimental / control group study design, we will test the hypotheses that exposure to the curriculum will improve scientific literacy, abilities in scientific inquiry, understanding of epidemiology, and knowledge of the physical activity and diet and their health consequences, and increase interest in science and careers in public health. Based on the above experiences, the curriculum will be revised, posted on an Epidemiology and the Energy Balance Equation web site, and disseminate it by leveraging government regulation, presenting at professional meetings, conducting professional development workshops, and adapting the curriculum for use by specific audiences. We will create a curriculum based on "backward design" curriculum development principles, called Epidemiology and the Energy Balance Equation, which develops middle school students' understanding of the science of epidemiology by exploring patterns of physical activity and diet and their health consequences. We will establish a Field-Testing Team, consisting of 10 pairs of science teachers, who are members on the Montclair State University Network for Educational Renewal, and prepare them to teach the curriculum in a three-week, professional development workshop, during which each pair of teachers will pilot-test the entire curriculum with groups of 10 students from Montclair State University Academically Gifted and Talented Youth Program. We will field-test the curriculum in after-school Epidemiology and Public Health Clubs that are led by the Field-Testing Team teachers. During the field-test, using a pre-test / post-test, experimental / control group study design, we will test the hypotheses that exposure to the curriculum will improve scientific literacy, abilities in scientific inquiry, understanding of epidemiology, and knowledge of the physical activity and diet and their health consequences, and increase interest in science and careers in public health. Based on the above experiences, we will revise the curriculum, post it on an Epidemiology and the Energy Balance Equation web site, and disseminate it by leveraging government regulation, presenting at professional meetings, conducting professional development workshops, and adapting the curriculum for use by specific audiences.