MothEd - Authentic Science for Elementary and Middle School Students

很少有机会和课程材料支持教师让中小学生参与科学研究过程和进行自己的调查。广泛采用的科学教育标准扩大了对学生学习科学研究过程的期望。为了满足这些需求，该项目将研究和开发课程材料和课堂实践，教师可以使用这些材料和实践将真实的科学带入课堂，并让学生成为积极的科学研究者。 这个名为MothEd的项目将专注于飞蛾的研究，这非常适合该项目让学生进行真实科学调查的目标。蛾类在生态学上很重要，容易捕捉，与许多其他昆虫物种相比，对蛾类的研究缺乏。在项目活动中，学生将构建蛾陷阱，并通过他们设计和执行的研究过程收集数据。该项目是建立在一种称为社区科学（有时称为公民科学）的方法之上的，在这种方法中，当地社区的非科学家自愿为科学研究做出贡献。学生和教师将与昆虫学家和科学教育工作者合作，开发和回答有关当地生态条件的问题，并将成为科学学习社区内知识的真正生产者。 学生将在一个在线平台上协作，使用一整套研究工具来设计实验，这些工具用于收集，表达和分析数据，包括传感器，照片，草图和图表。该项目将编制课程材料，提供教学材料，重点是让学生有机会进行适合其年龄的科学调查。MothEd的教育研究将调查几个问题：（1）学生对科学研究过程的理解以及他们在这个过程中如何看待自己;（2）学生如何与科学家合作进行发现，以及他们对研究方法和蛾生态学有何了解;（3）为了支持学生成为积极的科学研究者，教师需要什么支持。 使用混合方法的方法，该项目将收集各种数据的研究：在课堂上观察学生的工作;活动前和活动后的调查，了解他们的知识蛾生态和他们的观点和理解的科学研究过程;教师访谈;和项目软件收集的数据分析学生的工作和合作。该项目的设计将确保MothEd教材能够被全国各地的教师独立采用和使用。项目研究成果和材料将通过会议，期刊出版物和项目的协作学习环境共享。探索研究preK-12计划（DRK-12）旨在通过研究和开发创新资源，模型和工具，显着提高preK-12学生和教师的科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）的学习和教学。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。

There are few opportunities and curriculum materials that support teachers in engaging elementary and middle-school students in scientific research processes and in conducting their own investigations. Widely-adopted science education standards have expanded expectations for students to learn science research processes. To address these needs, the project will research and develop curricular materials and classroom practices that teachers can use to bring authentic science into their classes and engage students as active science researchers. The project, called MothEd, will focus on the study of moths, which are well-suited to the project’s goal of having students conduct authentic scientific investigations. Moths are ecologically important, easy to capture, and there is a lack of research on moths compared to many other insect species. In the project activities, students will construct moth traps and collect data through research processes that they design and carry out. The project is building on an approach called community science (sometimes called citizen science), where non-scientists in local communities voluntarily contribute to scientific research. Students and teachers will work in partnership with entomologists and science educators to develop and answer questions about local ecological conditions and will become genuine producers of knowledge within science learning communities. Students will work collaboratively within an online platform to design experiments using a complete suite of research tools for collection, expression, and analysis of data, including sensors, photographs, sketches, and graphs. The project will develop curricular materials that will provide teaching and learning materials that are focused on giving students place-based opportunities to conduct age-appropriate scientific investigations. MothEd’s educational research will investigate several questions: (1) what students understand about scientific research processes and how they see themselves in that process; (2) how students can work as partners with scientists in discovery and what do they learn about research methods and moth ecology; and (3) What supports teachers need in order to support students as active science researchers. Using a mixed methods approach, the project will collect a variety of data for the research: in-class observations of student work; pre- and post- activity surveys about their knowledge of moth ecology and their view and understanding of science research processes; teacher interviews; and analysis of data collected by project software on student work and collaboration. The project will be designed to ensure that the MothEd education materials can be adopted and used independently by teachers across the country. Project research findings and materials will be shared via conferences, journal publications, and the project’s collaborative learning environment. The Discovery Research preK-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. 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.