Professional development for K-12 science teachers in linguistically diverse classrooms

该项目将使科学教师参与持续的专业发展（PD）计划，该计划嵌入为英语学习者（EL）语言多样化群体设计的课后科学计划。该项目的目标是科学教师（化学，物理，生物和地球科学），他们在一所高中任教，其中包括来自缅甸，中美洲和非洲的难民。大约20%的学生被归类为英语学习者，代表了近20个不同的语言群体，包括各种亚洲，西班牙语和阿拉伯语。该项目旨在解决的基本问题是科学学习环境的设计，以促进英语学习者在语言多样的高中课堂上的学习。针对英语学习者的科学教育研究提出了几种有效的教学方法，例如利用学生多样化和丰富的资源，让学生参与真实的科学学习实践，鼓励和重视灵活使用多种语言。然而，之前的大多数研究都集中在小学和中学科学课堂上教授西班牙语，其中大多数英语学习者说同一种语言。此外，虽然许多PD计划支持科学教育的ELs提供了一个短期的研讨会和/或新设计的课程和课程指南，有缺乏PD模型，从事教师在一个持续的实践社区，通过研究人员和教师之间的合作。该项目的主要目标包括扩大参与，直接影响到14名科学教师，他们将在项目实施期间影响2000多名学生，包括450多名英语学习者。该项目提供了一个持续的PD程序，进一步影响EL学生的教师谁参加了项目的各个阶段的模型。该项目有可能以三种不同的方式对英语学习者和英语学习的高中科学教师产生影响。第一，通过生成PD材料，包括有效的教学材料和教学实践的ELs，这可以被其他教育工作者在类似的教育环境中使用。第二，通过演讲和发表论文，向学术界传达项目的发现。这些产出可以影响其他研究人员谁愿意设计PD计划，以促进EL的科学学习。第三，通过在更大范围内实施开发和测试的PD程序。该项目的实施将建设开展更大的方案执行项目的能力，以影响更多的教师和学生。这些预期的产出和成果将为希望支持ELs科学学习和迈向公平的研究人员和从业人员提供宝贵的资源。最后，项目团队和两批科学教师将共同设计一个全校范围的科学教师PD，以改变非参与教师的科学教材和实践。发现研究K-12计划（DRK-12）旨在显著提高学前学生和教师的科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）的学习和教学，通过研究和开发创新资源、模型和工具（RMT）。DRK-12项目中的项目建立在STEM教育的基础研究以及为拟议项目提供理论和经验依据的先前研究和开发工作的基础上。该奖项反映了NSF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。

This project will engage science teachers in a sustained professional development (PD) program embedded in an afterschool science program designed for a linguistically diverse group of English learners (ELs). The project targets science teachers (chemistry, physics, biology, and earth science) who teach in a high school that includes refugees from Myanmar, Central America, and Africa. Roughly 20% of the students are classified as ELs, representing almost 20 different linguistic groups, including a variety of Asian, Spanish, and Arabic languages. The fundamental issue that the project seeks to address is the design of science learning environments to facilitate ELs' learning in linguistically diverse high school classrooms. Research on science education for ELs has recommended several effective teaching approaches, such as building on students' diverse and rich resources, engaging students in authentic science learning practices, and encouraging and valuing flexible use of multiple languages. However, previously most research has focused on teaching speakers of Spanish in elementary and middle school level science classrooms in which a majority of ELs speak the same language. Furthermore, while many PD programs supporting science education for ELs provide a short-term workshop and/or newly designed curriculum and curriculum guide, there is a lack of PD models that engage teachers in a sustained community of practice through collaboration between researchers and teachers. The project's primary goal includes broadening participation with direct impact on 14 science teachers, who will impact over 2000 students, including over 450 ELs, during the project implementation period. The project provides a sustained model of the PD program which further impacts EL students of teachers who participated in the various phases of the project. The project has a potential to make an impact on ELs and high school science teachers of ELs in three different ways. First, by generating PD materials that include effective teaching materials and instructional practices for ELs, which can be used by other educators situated in similar educational contexts. Second, by giving presentations and publish papers that communicate findings of the project to academic communities. These outputs can impact other researchers who would like to design PD programs to foster ELs' science learning. Third, by implementing the developed and tested PD program in a larger scale. The implementation of the project will build capacity to conduct a larger PD project to impact more teachers and students. These anticipated outputs and outcomes will provide valuable resources for researcher and practitioners looking to support ELs' science learning and steps forward to equity. Finally, the project team and two cohorts of science teachers will co-design a school-wide science teacher PD to transform science teaching materials and practices of non-participating teachers.The Discovery Research K-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools (RMTs). Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects.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.