Collaborative Research: Empowering Educators to Create Customized, Culturally-Responsive Instructional Materials from Scratch Encore Harmonized with the Interest of Students

研究表明，当教学内容处于学习者熟悉的环境中时，教学会更有效。这个项目建立在一个成功的入门计算机科学课程Scratch Encore的基础上，以探索如何支持教师将现有的Scratch Encore教材与反映学生、学校和社区的兴趣、文化和经验的主题结合在一起或协调一致。在设计这些和谐的课程时，教师创造了与学生产生共鸣的定制活动，同时保留了原始Scratch Encore课程的结构和内容。为了了解使用这种协调材料教与学的影响，该项目正在与合作学校进行课堂研究。该项目正在扩大对计算机的参与，方法是直接与学生人数较多的学校的教师合作，这些学校的学生来自历来在计算机方面人数较少的人口，并向教师提供工具，以便更有效地教授不同人口。通过这项工作，我们加深了对支持教师设计个性化计算机科学教材所需要的工具和培训的理解。本项目正在进行基础研究，以追求两个目标：(1)了解如何支持教师创建本地化的、与文化相适应的计算机科学教材；(2)了解这些教材对学生的影响。为了向专业发展材料和定制课程发展材料的设计提供信息，参与式设计课程由经验丰富的教师管理，作为多年研究的一部分，这些材料正在反复修订。为了了解在课堂上使用本地化的文化响应性材料的影响，一项混合方法研究从教授教师创造的文化响应性课程的教室收集数据。这项工作集中在两个地理上截然不同的地区。随后，这项研究招募了一批全国教师参加专业发展课程，以了解不同地区的文化响应型设计有何不同。最后，通过一个平台支持广泛传播，让教师分享和使用所开发的定制的、符合文化要求的Scratch Encore材料。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，显著提高Pre-K-12学生和教师在科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)方面的学习和教学。DRK-12计划中的项目建立在STEM教育的基础研究和先前的研究和开发工作的基础上，为拟议的项目提供了理论和经验上的证明。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Research shows that instruction is more effective when content is situated in contexts familiar to learners. This project builds on a successful introductory computer science curriculum, called Scratch Encore, to explore ways to support teachers in bringing together - or harmonizing - existing Scratch Encore instructional materials with themes that reflect the interests, cultures, and experiences of their students, schools, and communities. In designing these harmonized lessons, teachers create customized activities that resonate with their students while retaining the structure and content of the original Scratch Encore lesson. To understand the impact of teaching and learning with such harmonized materials, the project is conducting a classroom study with partnering schools. This project is broadening participation in computing both by working directly with teachers from schools with high numbers of students from populations historically underrepresented in computing and by providing teachers with tools to more effectively teach diverse populations. In doing so, this work advances our understanding of the kinds of tools and training that are needed to support teachers in designing personalized computer science instructional materials.This project is conducting foundational research that pursues two goals: (1) understanding how to support teachers in creating localized, culturally responsive computer science instructional materials and (2) understanding the effects of those materials on students. To inform the design of the professional development materials and customized curriculum development materials, participatory design sessions are managed by experienced teachers and the materials are being iteratively revised as part of a multi-year study. To understand the impact of the use of localized, culturally responsive materials in the classroom, a mixed-methods study collects data from classrooms where teacher-created culturally responsive lessons are taught. This work is focused on two geographically distinct regions. Subsequently, the study enrolls a national cohort of teachers to participate in the professional development sessions to understand how culturally responsive designs differ across more regions. Finally, wide dissemination is supported through a platform for teachers to share and use the customized, culturally responsive Scratch Encore materials that are developed. 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.