Supports for Science and Mathematics Learning in Pre-Kindergarten Dual Language Learners: Designing and Expanding a Professional Development System

这个为期4年的项目名为“支持学龄前双语学习者的科学和数学学习：设计和扩展专业发展系统”(SciMath-DLL)，将解决一些教育挑战。全球社会需要公民和具备科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)知识的劳动力，但许多美国学生在这些领域仍然准备不足。与此同时，挤满美国教室的孩子们越来越多地说非英语母语，其中早期年级的注意力最高。由于家庭背景的因素，许多幼儿还面临着在语言、识字、数学和科学方面缺乏入学准备的风险。抵消早期风险因素的教育努力可能是成功的，高质量的早期学习经验与后来的学术成果之间有明确的联系。SciMath-DLL将帮助教师为他们的学生提供有效的数学和科学学习体验。早期教育支持至关重要，以确保所有学生，无论其社会经济背景或语言背景如何，都能学习成为理科和数学家所需的STEM内容。多项研究表明，参加持续的数学和科学学习活动可以提高学龄前双语学习者的入学准备。对于年龄较大的学生来说，将科学探究与英语学习支持相结合的积极影响已经被确定。对于学龄前儿童来说，持续的科学和数学学习机会提高了儿童学习一门语言的语言和识字前技能。数学技能和科学知识也可以预测未来的数学、科学和阅读成绩。没有研究的是，学龄前丰富的科学和数学经验在多大程度上有助于更好地为学龄前DLL做好数学和科学准备，并提高语言技能。由于学龄前教师队伍不准备支持STEM学习或为DLL提供有效支持，因此需要专业发展来提高这些领域的知识和实践，然后才能改善儿童的学习结果。SciMath-DLL是一种创新的学前专业发展(PD)模式，将对DLL的支持与高质量的科学和数学教学相结合。它让教师参与研讨会、基于课堂的指导和专业学习社区。开发和研究活动包括设计-专家审查-颁布-分析-重新设计的循环；研究人员-教育人员团队在所有项目阶段的合作；使用多种数据和数据来源来确定主张；以及更传统的实验方法。基于前景的初步证据，SciMath-DLL项目将扩大PD的范围，包括基于网络的材料，使PD在一系列教育环境和培训环境中的使用更加灵活。将完成一项功效研究，以检验本数学动态学习库的资源、模型和工具的潜力，从而对教师在早期数学和科学方面的态度、知识和实践产生积极影响，并在为学习两种语言的儿童服务的环境中，对儿童在这些领域的准备情况产生积极影响。通过创建一套可在不同教育环境下使用的工具来提高STEM的专业知识、技能和实践，该项目增加了准备支持儿童作为STEM学习者的教师数量，从而增加了可以作为STEM学习者支持的儿童数量。

The 4-year project, Supports for Science and Mathematics Learning in Pre-Kindergarten Dual Language Learners: Designing and Expanding a Professional Development System (SciMath-DLL), will address a number of educational challenges. Global society requires citizens and a workforce that are literate in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), but many U.S. students remain ill prepared in these areas. At the same time, the children who fill U.S. classrooms increasingly speak a non-English home language, with the highest concentration in the early grades. Many young children are also at risk for lack of school readiness in language, literacy, mathematics, and science due to family background factors. Educational efforts to offset early risk factors can be successful, with clear links between high quality early learning experiences and later academic outcomes. SciMath-DLL will help teachers provide effective mathematics and science learning experiences for their students. Early educational support is critical to assure that all students, regardless of socioeconomic or linguistic background, learn the STEM content required to become science and mathematics literate. Converging lines of research suggest that participation in sustained mathematics and science learning activities could enhance the school readiness of preschool dual language learners. Positive effects of combining science inquiry with supports for English-language learning have been identified for older students. For preschoolers, sustained science and math learning opportunities enhance language and pre-literacy skills for children learning one language. Mathematics skills and science knowledge also predict later mathematics, science, and reading achievement. What has not been studied is the extent to which rich science and mathematics experiences in preschool lead to better mathematics and science readiness and improved language skills for preschool DLLs. Because the preschool teaching force is not prepared to support STEM learning or to provide effective supports for DLLs, professional development to improve knowledge and practice in these areas is required before children's learning outcomes can be improved.SciMath-DLL is an innovative preschool professional development (PD) model that integrates supports for DLLs with high quality science and mathematics instructional offerings. It engages teachers with workshops, classroom-based coaching, and professional learning communities. Development and research activities incorporate cycles of design-expert review-enactment- analysis-redesign; collaboration between researcher-educator teams at all project stages; use of multiple kinds of data and data sources to establish claims; and more traditional, experimental methodologies. Based on initial evidence of promise, the SciMath-DLL project will expand PD offerings to include web-based materials, making the PD more flexible for use in a range of educational settings and training circumstances. An efficacy study will be completed to examine the potential of the SciMath-DLL resources, model, and tools to generate positive effects on teacher attitudes, knowledge, and practice for early mathematics and science and on children's readiness in these domains in settings that serve children learning two languages. By creating a suite of tools that can be used under differing educational circumstances to improve professional knowledge, skill, and practice around STEM, the project increases the number of teachers who are prepared to support children as STEM learners and, thus, the number of children who can be supported as STEM learners.