EAGER: Physics of Living Systems Teacher (PoLST) Network: Increasing Student Conceptual Understanding of High School Physics

PI将开展探索性研究，为建立国家高中物理网络奠定基础，目标是开发生命系统物理高中物理课程，以提高高中物理学生的概念理解。在2020年7月的哈佛虚拟研讨会期间，进行了一系列评估高中物理教学状况的调查。本次研讨会的一部分参与者将被选择并邀请加入生命系统物理教师（PoLST）网络的第一批。该网络将与已经建立的NSF赞助的研究生PoLS网络密切合作。目标是建立一个可持续的实践社区，以提高所有学生，特别是那些传统上在物理学中代表性不足的学生对高中物理学的概念理解。这是一项变革性的研究，因为PI挑战了物理教育研究人员是专家的假设，他们可以简单地将大学水平的工作强加给高中环境。这是高风险的，因为我们相信，高中教师有重要的知识，他们的专业，他们将愿意分享这些知识与物理教育研究人员。而不是采取赤字为基础的方法来高中物理教育，PI将开始一个富有成效的和集中的对话，导致与教师和研究人员的真实伙伴关系。为了实现这一目标，PI将采取基于设计的研究方法。有巨大的需求，以增加合格的高中学生谁将准备成功的大学科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）课程的数量。掌握物理学在这个时候是至关重要的，因为物理学是有兴趣追求任何数量的STEM专业的学生的核心。了解如何利用高中物理教师和物理研究生之间的合作网络来开发一个可以增加学生概念物理理解的课程，从而减少离开STEM的本科生数量，有可能改善国家STEM专业人员的长期前景。目标是以一种基础性、长期性和系统性的方式这样做，所有相关的持照人群体都有代表。通过利用高中物理教师和物理研究生网络，提高高中阶段对概念物理的理解，将影响学生在参加大学科学课程时在STEM方面取得成功的准备程度。在高中阶段获得优质物理教育的学生将更有能力选择STEM专业并取得成功，从而在医学，研究，政府机构，环境科学等领域开辟职业生涯。这些类型的职业定位于解决我们星球上一些最关键的威胁。该项目还将影响多样性和包容性的努力，通过缩小差距，在物理准备，当学生到大学的水平。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得的支持，通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

The PI will carry out exploratory research to lay the foundation for the establishment of a national high school physics network, with the goal of developing a Physics of Living Systems high school physics curriculum to increase high school physics student conceptual understanding. A set of surveys to assess the state of high-school physics teaching was administered during the Harvard Virtual Workshop in July of 2020. A subset of participants from this workshop will be selected and invited to join the first cohort of the Physics of Living Systems Teacher (PoLST) network. The network will operate in close collaboration with the already-established NSF-sponsored graduate student PoLS network. The goal is to establish a sustainable community of practice to improve conceptual understanding of physics at the high school level for all students, particularly those who are traditionally underrepresented in physics. This is transformative research because the PI challenges the assumption that physics educational researchers are the experts who can simply impose what works at the university level to high school contexts. It is high-risk because we are entrusting that high school teachers have important knowledge about their professions and that they will be willing to share this knowledge with physics education researchers. Rather than taking a deficit-based approach to high school physics education, the PI will to start a productive and focused conversation that leads to authentic partnerships with teachers and researchers. To accomplish this, the PI will take a design-based research approach.There is tremendous need to increase the number of qualified high school students who will be ready to succeed in college science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses. Mastery of physics is critical at this time because physics is central for students interested in pursuing any number of STEM professions. Understanding both how to leverage collaborative networks between high school physics teachers and physics graduate students to develop a curriculum that can increase student conceptual physics understanding, and consequently reduce the number of undergraduate students who leave STEM, has the potential to improve the long-term outlook of the nation's preparation of STEM professionals. The goal is to do so in a foundational, long-term, and systematic manner where all relevant stake-holder groups are represented. Increasing conceptual physics understanding at the high school level, by leveraging a high school physics teacher and physics graduate student network, will impact how prepared students are to succeed in STEM when they enroll in university science courses. Students with access to quality physics education at the high school level will be better equipped to select and succeed in STEM majors, thus opening a career trajectory in medicine, research, governmental agencies, environmental sciences, to name a few. These types of careers are positioned to address some of our planet's most critical threats. The project will also impact diversity and inclusion efforts by diminishing gaps in physics preparedness when students get to the university level.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.