Learning Computer Science Through Tabletop Games in a Dual Language Immersion Middle School

计算机编程方法通常用于介绍计算机科学，这对一些老师和学生来说可能是令人生畏和沮丧的。作为回应，俄勒冈州立大学（OSU）的研究人员和一所双语（西班牙语和英语）沉浸式中学的实践者将利用他们目前的研究实践者伙伴关系（RPP）来开发和研究一种新的方法，使用熟悉的桌面游戏的“不插电”游戏玩法来教学生如何进行计算思考。他们将开发一种创新的面向所有人的计算机科学课程，用著名的桌面游戏（不受性别、种族和社会经济地位的限制）向六年级和七年级的学生教授计算机科学（CS），比如井字棋和围棋鱼。通过游戏过程中自然的社交互动，学生们将一起使用脚手架模板来识别计算概念并描述游戏中的计算。该项目还将开发领域特定语言（dsl），用于阐明游戏描述，作为教师使用半形式化算法表示理解和实施CS课程的模型，并为教师提供一组支持，并从非结构化的编程语言符号过渡到形式化的编程语言符号。这个面向所有人的计算机科学项目有助于理解如何以一种可扩展和易于适应的方式向中学生和教师介绍计算，以支持其广泛采用。该项目的研究部分将检查该程序的可用性，包括代表性算法模板的有用性，教授核心计算机科学概念和解决问题技能的课程方法的有效性，以及该程序如何解决与不同学生属性，兴趣，动机和先前计算机科学教学中的差距相关的公平问题。将收集多种数据来源，包括学生调查、教师访谈、课堂观察和研讨会文件，并对其进行定量和定性分析。除了在本项目中创建的课程和dsl之外，该RPP中发现的关键经验将被记录下来，并用于指导其他成功的RPP的开发，这些RPP与许多双语学习者共享双语沉浸式学校的独特需求，并通过专业学习社区将现有的RPP扩展到整个地区和州的更多学校。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

A computer programming approach is often used to introduce computer science, which can be intimidating and frustrating to some teachers and students. In response, researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) and practitioners at a dual language (Spanish and English) immersion middle school will use their current Research Practitioner Partnership (RPP) to develop and investigate a new approach using "unplugged" game play of familiar tabletop games to teach students how to think computationally. They will develop an innovative CS for All curriculum to teach 6th and 7th grade students about computer science (CS) using well-known tabletop games that are agnostic of gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic status, such as Tic-Tac-Toe and Go Fish. Through the natural social interaction during game playing, students will work together using scaffolded templates to identify computational concepts and describe the computation in the game. The project will also develop domain-specific languages (DSLs) for articulating game descriptions as a model for teachers to understand and implement the CS curriculum using semi-formal algorithm representations, and inform a set of supports for teachers and to transition from unstructured to formalized programming language notations. This CS for All project contributes to the understanding of how to introduce computation to middle school students and teachers in a way that is scalable and easily adaptable to support its widespread adoption.The research components of the project will examine the usability of the program including the usefulness of the representative algorithmic templates, the effectiveness of the curriculum approach for teaching core CS concepts and problem solving skills, and how the program address equity issues related to diverse student attributes, interests, motivations, and gaps in prior CS instruction. Multiple data sources, including student surveys, teacher interviews, classroom observations and workshop documents, will be gathered and analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Beyond the curriculum and DSLs created in this project, the key experiences uncovered in this RPP will be documented and be used to inform the development of other successful RPPs that share the needs unique to dual-language immersion schools with many dual-language learners, as well as extend the existing RPP addressing computational needs to more schools across the district and state through a professional learning community.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.