Research on the Development of Computational and Systems Thinking in Middle School Students through Explorations of Complex Earth Systems

Terc Inc, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

Computing has been a central tool in the development of modern understanding in many fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Skills such as modeling, data visualization, and computational thinking are all necessary for building a diverse scientific workforce that will secure a strong future for the United States. As a result, NSF's STEM+Computing Partnership (STEM+C) program seeks to integrate the use of computational approaches in K-12 STEM teaching and learning. TERC, Inc., in collaboration with Northeastern University and the cambridge, Newton, and Lowell, Massachusetts Public School Districts, will develop and study an education program that integrates computing into middle school Earth systems science by interweaving computational skills development into science game design and science content learning. The project aims to develop skills among diverse groups of young people in two crucial fields central to national interest and safety. More importantly, the project will bring these two fields together to create a learning environment in which young people learn thinking from a systems perspective, essential to solving complex scientific problems. The project will contribute to practical models for developing science content learning and computer skills, creating positive attitudes toward science, and broadening participation in the sciences among middle school students in diverse settings. The Building Systems from Scratch project will develop, implement, and study an innovative intervention that integrates computing into an 8-week Earth systems curriculum and supporting resources. The program will include: a) a standards-aligned curriculum focused on systems thinking practices, b) a 52-hour hybrid online/face-to-face teacher professional development workshop with supporting materials, c) a teacher leader guide for sustainable implementation of the program, and d) a website to support program materials, activities, and communication. Specifically, as students build their own science content games, they will engage in computational practices such as modeling, abstraction, management of complexity, and creative design, as well as iterative testing and debugging. The project seeks to understand how and what young people learn when they engage in interdisciplinary learning in technology-rich environments. It further seeks to understand how curricular structural supports influence student learning and self-efficacy. The project will address specific needs of middle school students and teachers with regard to relevant disciplinary content, science practices, and computation as specified in Next Generation Science Standards and Computer Science Standards. The project will be working with fifteen 8th grade teachers in three Massachusetts school districts across three years, reaching approximately 1,840 8th grade students, over half of whom are from groups underrepresented in STEM and computer science fields.