Collaborative Research: Science Modeling through Physical Computing: Contextualized Computational and Scientific Learning in the Grade 5-6 Classroom

由于计算已经成为科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）实践中不可或缺的一部分，STEM+计算计划旨在通过将计算思维和计算活动应用于高中（preK-12）早期儿童教育的STEM教学和学习，来解决计算STEM领域的新挑战。在这个STEM+C项目中，学生将建立科学模型来学习五年级和六年级的科学和计算。学生将参与计算，使物理模型具有代表各种状态、静态、动态和语义科学现象的功能。将采用双支架策略同时支持正式教室中的科学和计算学习。首先，学习将通过学生构建计算物理模型（cmp）来支撑，以支持对正式科学主题的理解和发展基于模型的思维。其次，该项目将支持在计算机方面的学习进展，以建立以实践为导向的cmp，并添加新概念来完成每一组连续模型。科学模型的表征性质将使抽象概念具体化，对每个概念使用多个模型将使学生更灵活地以不同的表征方式理解概念。该项目将在两所公立中等学校纵向实施两年，这两所学校主要为代表性不足的人口提供服务。教师将获得专业发展，使用多种科学模型和语言和教学法，突出模型的代表性力量。为了支持教学计算内容，该项目将建立一个由大学STEM学生组成的导师团，在课堂上与教师合作。计算建模活动将被整合到常规科学课程中，使学生建立的模型与现有课程相匹配。该项目研究将检查该计划对以下方面的影响：1)通过建模学习科学概念；2)学习计算结构并将计算发展为一种思维习惯；3)科学和计算身份的发展。将从每所学校的实验组和对照组教室收集一系列数据源，包括知识评估和调查、半结构化访谈以及学生模型构建的录像观察。将进行定性和定量分析，以解决研究问题并确定群体之间的差异。调查结果将广泛传播给研究人员和从业人员，教学材料和资源将免费提供。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。

As computing has become integral to the practice of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the STEM+Computing program seeks to address emerging challenges in computational STEM areas through the applied integration of computational thinking and computing activities within STEM teaching and learning in early childhood education through high school (preK-12). In this STEM+C project students will build science models to learn both science and computing in grades 5 and 6. Students will engage with computation to imbue physical models with functionality that represent various state, static, dynamic, and semantic scientific phenomena. A double-scaffolding strategy will be employed to simultaneously support scientific and computing learning in formal classrooms. First, learning will be scaffolded through students' construction of computational physical models (CMPs) to support understanding of formal science topics and develop model-based thinking. Second, the program will support a learning progression in computing to build the CMPs that is practice-oriented, with new concepts added to complete each set of successive models. The representational nature of science models will make abstract concepts concrete, and the use of multiple models for each concept will give students greater flexibility in understanding the concept in different representations. The project will be carried out longitudinally over two years in two public intermediate schools that serve predominantly underrepresented populations. Teachers will receive professional development using multiple science models and language and pedagogy that highlight the representational power of models. To support teaching computational content, the project will develop a Mentor Corps of college STEM students to work in collaboration with teachers in the classroom. Computational modeling activities will be integrated into the regular science classes, matching the models that the students build with the existing curriculum. The project research will examine the impact of the program on 1) learning science concepts through modeling, 2) learning computational constructs and developing computation as a habit of mind, and 3) the development of both science and computation identities. An array of data sources will be gathered from both treatment and control classrooms in each school, including knowledge assessments and surveys, semi-structured interviews, and video-taped observations of students' model construction. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses will be conducted to address the research questions and identify differences between groups. Findings will be broadly disseminated to research and practitioner audiences, and instructional materials and resources will be freely accessible.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.