CAREER: Computational Reconstruction of K12 Science (CoRe-Science): Integrating Computational Thinking and Modeling with School Science

这个为期五年的职业生涯项目（核心科学：K12科学的计算重建）旨在解决以下研究问题：基于代理的编程语言和建模平台的设计需要如何改变，以支持计算思维，编程和建模与物理和生物领域的中学课程科学的深度课程整合，而不需要对学生和教师的准备进行彻底的重组？本计画的目标为：a）开发一种新的、以多智能体为基础的可视化程序设计语言与建模平台ViMAP，以整合计算程序设计与建模与中学运动学与生态学课程：B）将ViMAP及其相关学习活动与现有的以项目为基础的中学运动学与生态学课程无缝整合;以及c）进行实证研究，以确定学生如何在学习建模和使用模型进行调查的背景下发展计算思维（反之亦然），并确定计算思维和建模能力的发展轨迹。该团队将在几所城市公立中学进行核心科学单元的课堂实施。运动学和生态学的主题领域被选中，因为它们在国家科学教育标准中很重要;它们被学习者认为是非常困难的;它们适合基于代理的建模方法;并且之前的工作已经准备好PI开发关于这些主题的高质量课程材料。除了科技创新外，本计划的成果亦包括研究成果，例如：a）经实证检验的K12课程整合程式语言设计原则，以及B）计算思维在发展学生对这两个范畴的概念理解方面的过程、性质及角色。此外，运动学和生态学的课堂准备课程单元，包括ViMAP编程和建模平台，伴随的学习活动和教师支持材料将通过广泛的教育社区网络部署和传播。在过去的几十年里，计算思维和建模已经成为科学和工程专业知识的关键要素。以适当的方式将计算思维和计算工具的使用注入中学课程，可以促进这种跨领域的专业知识。然而，将通用计算编程与K12课程科学相结合已被证明具有挑战性，Core-Science旨在通过开发一种新的可视化编程语言和建模环境来解决这个问题，专门用于中学生的科学建模，并将其与现有的中学物理和生物科学课程无缝集成。这些产品包括可以广泛传播的新的学习技术，以及基于实证研究的研究结果，这些研究结果应成为一个框架的基础，为今后类似系统的发展提供信息。

This five year CAREER project (CoRe-Science: Computational Reconstruction of K12 Science) seeks to address the following research question: How does the design of agent-based programming languages and modeling platforms need to change in order to support deep curricular integration of computational thinking, programming and modeling with middle-school curricular science in the domains of physics and biology, without necessitating a radical restructuring of student and teacher preparation? This project has following objectives: a) To develop ViMAP, a new, multi-agent-based, visual programming language and modeling platform specifically for integrating computational programming and modeling with middle school curricular science in kinematics and ecology; b) To seamlessly integrate ViMAP and accompanying learning activities with existing project-based middle-school curricula in kinematics and ecology; and c) conduct empirical studies to identify how students develop computational thinking in the context of learning to model and use models for investigation (and vice versa), and to identify trajectories towards competency in computational thinking and modeling. The team will conduct classroom implementations of the CoRe-Science units in several urban public middle schools. The topic areas of kinematics and ecology were selected because they are important in light of national science education standards; they are experienced as extremely difficult by learners; they are amenable to agent-based modeling approaches; and prior work has prepared the PI to develop high-quality curricular materials on these topics. Besides the technological innovation, the products of this project are research findings, such as: a) empirically tested design principles for programming languages for K12 curricular integration, and b) the process, nature and role of computational thinking in the development of students' conceptual understanding in the two domains. In addition, classroom ready curricular units in kinematics and ecology, including the ViMAP programming and modeling platform, accompanying learning activities, and teacher support materials will be deployed and disseminated through a broad network of educational communities.Over the past few decades, computational thinking and modeling has emerged to be a key element of scientific and engineering expertise. Infusing computational thinking and the use of computational tools into the middle school curriculum in appropriate ways can promote this cross-cutting expertise. However, integrating general purpose computational programming with K12 curricular science has been shown to be challenging, and CoRe-Science seeks to address this issue by developing a new visual programming language and modeling environment specifically for scientific modeling for middle school students, and seamlessly integrate it with an existing science curriculum for middle school physics and biology. The products include new learning technologies that can be widely disseminated, and research findings based on empirical studies, that should be the basis of a framework to inform the future development of similar systems.