CAREER: Community-Based Engineering as a Learning and Teaching Strategy for Pre-Service Urban Elementary Teachers

这是一个教师早期职业发展项目，旨在开发、实施和评估一种模式，将初级小学教师(1-6年级)引入基于社区的工程设计，将其作为城市学校教与学的一种策略。该模式反映了新的K-12科学教育框架(NRC，2012)，涉及关键的交叉概念(例如，因果：机制和解释)、学科核心概念(例如，工程设计，以及工程和社会之间的联系)，以及科学和工程实践(例如，在当地学校或社区环境中识别问题，并为与技术相关的问题设计解决方案)。它建立在理论观点和经验基础上，包括情境学习、工程设计认知以及儿童的知识资源和资金，包括文化和语言多样性。这项研究整合了研究和教育计划，调查了该模式对90名新手教师通过职前课程和实践教学进行学习的短期影响，以及对其中48名教师开始在职教学第一年的长期影响。研究采用了基于设计的研究，涉及三个阶段：(A)开发阶段，以创建基于社区的工程模块和评估工具；(B)迭代实施阶段，包括三个周期的基于社区的工程经验，三组新手教师；(C)综合阶段，专注于产生累积的结论和建议。它的假设是，将基于社区的工程纳入小学教师教育将提高新手城市小学教师的工程设计能力，对工程和科学实践的理解，以及识别和回应学生在科学和工程方面的想法和实践的能力。这一假设指导了四个研究问题：(1)城市小学新手教师的工程设计能力是如何在基于社区的工程体验中演变的？(2)教师对工程和科学实践的理解是如何在基于社区的工程体验中发展的？(3)教师的工程能力和对工程和科学实践的理解如何影响他们识别和回应学生的科学和工程想法和实践？以及(4)参加以社区为基础的工程学扩展专业发展是否会影响教师(A)对工程学和科学实践的理解，(B)识别和回应学生想法的能力，或(C)将科学/工程学课程纳入他们头两年的教学中？研究计划明确了一条描述性线索和一条实验线索。描述性研究主线涉及前三个研究问题，包括三个结构：(A)城市小学新手教师的工程设计能力；(B)他们对科学和工程实践的理解；(C)他们识别和回应学生的想法和实践的能力。实验研究主线涉及第四个研究问题，即评估基于社区的工程专业发展对上述两个结构(b和c)的影响，以及新教师在教学的头两年将与学生一起实施的科学工程课程的频率和特点。数据收集战略包括使用有效和可靠的工具，如创造性工程设计评估、课程评论和修订任务以及基于视频案例的评估。数据分析包括定量和定性两种方法。预期成果是：(1)将以社区为基础的工程学纳入小学教师教育和小学年级科学课堂的经过研究和实地测试的战略，(2)示范这一战略的单元样本，以及(3)关于将以社区为基础的工程学经验纳入小学科学教师教育计划的数字指南，特别是在服务不足的城市地区。

This is a Faculty Early Career Development project aimed at developing, implementing, and assessing a model that introduces novice elementary school teachers (grades 1-6) to community-based engineering design as a strategy for teaching and learning in urban schools. Reflective of the new Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC, 2012), the model addresses key crosscutting concepts (e.g., cause and effect: mechanism and explanation), disciplinary core ideas (e.g., engineering design, and links among engineering and society), and scientific and engineering practices (e.g., identifying a problem, and designing solutions for technology-related problems in local school or community environments). It builds on theoretical perspectives and empirical foundations, including situated learning, engineering design cognition,and children's resources and funds of knowledge, including cultural and linguistic diversity. The study integrates research and education plans that investigate the short-term impact of the model on 90 novice teachers' learning through their pre-service coursework and practice teaching, and its longer-term impact on a subset of 48 of those teachers as they begin their first year of in-service teaching.The study employs a design-based research that addresses three phases: (a) a development phase to create a community-based engineering module and assessment instruments; (b) an iterative implementation phase that includes three cycles of community-based engineering experiences with three cohorts of novice teachers; and (c) a synthesis phase focused on generating cumulative findings and recommendations. Its hypothesis is that incorporating community-based engineering into elementary teacher education will enhance novice urban elementary teachers' engineering design competency, understanding of engineering and scientific practices, and ability to identify and respond to student ideas and practices in science and engineering. This hypothesis guides four research questions: (1) How do novice urban elementary teachers' engineering design abilities evolve during community-based engineering experiences?; (2) How do the teachers' understandings of engineering and scientific practices evolve during community-based engineering experiences?; (3) How do the teachers' engineering abilities and understandings of engineering and scientific practices impact how they identify and respond to students' science and engineering ideas and practices?; and (4) Does participating in extended professional development on community-based engineering impact the teachers' (a) understandings of engineering and scientific practices, (b) abilities to identify and respond to student thinking, or (c) incorporation of science/engineering lessons into their first two years of teaching? The research plan articulates a descriptive thread and an experimental thread. The descriptive research thread addresses the first three research questions, inclusive of three constructs: (a) novice urban elementary teachers' engineering design abilities, (b) their understandings of practices of science and engineering, and (c) their abilities to identify and respond to students' ideas and practices. The experimental research thread addresses the fourth research question, which assesses the impact of community-based engineering professional development on two of the constructs (b and c mentioned above), as well as on the frequency and characteristics of the science-engineering lessons that new teachers will implement with their students in their first two years of teaching. Data gathering strategies include the use of valid and reliable instruments, such as the Creative Engineering Design Assessment, a curriculum critique and revision task, and a video-case-based assessment. Data analysis include both quantitative and qualitative methods. Expected outcomes are: (1) a research-informed and field-tested strategy to incorporate community-based engineering into elementary teacher education and elementary grades science classrooms, (2) samples of modules demonstrating this strategy, and (3) a digital guide on incorporating community-based engineering experiences into elementary science teacher education programs, particulalrly in underserved urban areas.