Designing Biomimetic Robots: Researching the impact of an interdisciplinary bio-engineering-computational design curriculum on middle school engineering and science education

该项目由STEM+Computing项目资助，旨在推进科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）学科中计算思维和计算活动在幼儿教育（preK-12）中的整合应用研究。在大多数中学，学习是按学科分开的——科学在一个班级教授，工程或计算机在另一个班级教授，如果有的话。然而，今天的发现和创新是跨学科的，学生需要使用来自多个学科领域的技能和实践来解决问题。设计仿生机器人项目将开发和研究一个整合科学、工程和计算的教育计划，让学生参与仿生设计挑战，以支持学生发展计算思维和科学推理，以及工程设计实践，同时练习跨学科解决问题的技能。学生们将学习自然世界，了解动物和植物如何完成不同的任务，然后根据他们所学到的知识设计一个机器人。例如，他们可以利用他们所学到的关于不同动物如何捡起物体的知识来设计一个机器人，帮助坐在轮椅上的人捡起掉在地上的东西。此外，该项目将展示教师如何促进跨学科学习，并在不同的环境中扩大中学生对科学、工程和计算机的参与。该项目将通过一系列仿生设计挑战，开发一种创新的干预措施，以支持跨学科STEM知识和实践的发展。该项目将包括：a)为期4周的模块化灵活课程，将仿生工程设计、机器人技术和计算机编程内容与实践整合到中学STEM课堂中；b)教师专业发展计划；c)网络资源，支持将仿生机器人技术整合到中学中。目标是让所有参与的学生发展与工程和科学标准以及计算思维原则相一致的知识、实践和技能，并展示出计算促进STEM实践和知识发展的理解。参与的教师将学习如何通过整合STEM和计算来制定跨学科的教学，以及如何创建支持所有学生参与的任务结构和话语实践。该项目将有助于跨学科和参与式学习环境的理论，可以促进学生学习计算，工程和仿生学的交叉点。该项目将在马萨诸塞州、马里兰州和缅因州的城市、郊区和农村地区与24名中学教师和大约3200名学生合作，这些地区的学生人口结构各不相同。

The project is funded by the STEM+Computing program, which seeks to advance applied research on the integration of computational thinking and computing activities within the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in early childhood education through high school (preK-12). In most middle schools, learning is segregated by discipline - science is taught in one class, and engineering or computing are taught in another, if at all. Yet today discovery and innovation are interdisciplinary and students need to use skills and practices from multiple subject areas to solve problems. The Designing Biomimetic Robots project will develop and study an education program that integrates science, engineering, and computing by engaging students in biomimicry design challenges to support students in developing computational thinking and scientific reasoning, as well as engineering design practices, while practicing interdisciplinary problem solving skills. Students will study the natural world to learn how animals and plants accomplish different tasks and then engineer a robot that is inspired by what they learned. For example, they may use what they learn about how different animals pick up objects to design a robot that can assist wheelchair-bound people in picking up dropped items. In addition, the project will demonstrate how teachers can foster interdisciplinary learning, and can broaden participation in science, engineering and computing among middle school students in diverse settings.The project will develop an innovative intervention to support the development of interdisciplinary STEM knowledge and practices through a series of biomimetic design challenges. The program will include: a) a 4-week modular and flexible curriculum that integrates bio-inspired engineering design, robotics, and computer programming content and practices into middle school STEM classrooms, b) a teacher professional development program, and c) web resources to support integration of biomimetic robotics into middle schools. The goal is for all participating students to develop knowledge, practices, and skills consistent with engineering and science standards, and computational thinking principles, and demonstrate an understanding that computing enhances STEM practice and knowledge development. Participating teachers will learn how to enact interdisciplinary instruction through integrating STEM and computing, and how to create task structures and discursive practices that support the participation of all students. The project will contribute to theory about interdisciplinary and participatory learning environments that can foster students' learning about the intersections of computation, engineering, and biomimicry. The project will work with 24 middle school teachers and approximately 3,200 students in urban, suburban, and rural districts in Massachusetts, Maryland, and Maine that have diverse student demographics.