C-STEM for sustainability: Preparing elementary-school teachers to integrate computer science into linguistically inclusive, transdisciplinary STEM instruction

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators

Abstract

Computer science (CS) literacies are essential to a well-rounded education in the 21st century. Yet, many elementary schools do not offer age-appropriate CS education and in particular, English Learners (EL) disproportionately lack access to CS education. The lack of age-appropriate CS education is a problem that emerges from a confluence of factors, including limited time in the school day for CS instruction, elementary teachers’ lack of opportunities to learn to teach CS, and the jargon-heavy nature of most age-appropriate CS materials (making them hard for ELs to use). Furthermore, many initiatives to introduce CS into elementary schools are funded by grants, and most grant-funded interventions die out when the funding runs out. In addition to CS education, there is also a need for 21st century classrooms to address issues of environmental sustainability. Addressing complex environmental issues requires a “transdisciplinary” approach, synthesizing knowledge across many disciplines including mathematics, civics, science, and computer science. Thus, this project focuses on environmental sustainability (ES) as the primary contextual anchor for authentic transdisciplinary CS learning since these topics align with standards across grade levels in both science and social studies and invite the use of computational practices, concepts, and tools. Additionally, these topics provide rich points of connection to students’ everyday experiences and ideas, which supports linguistically inclusive pedagogies. This project leverages the expertise of a multidisciplinary team of educators, researchers, content specialists, and state and district representatives to develop CS-integrated curricular modules and training materials for elementary school teachers who work with ELs. Since teachers generally lack time to design completely new lessons “from scratch,” the project will focus on modifying existing lessons to include more ES and CS content. Sustained impact is baked into the project’s structure; the training model developed by the project team will live on as part of a course in the well-established University of Maryland (UMD) master's degree program in STEM teacher leadership, and the modules will be published online and distributed by state and district representatives. The project includes three phases. In Phase 1, the research practice partnership (RPP) team will modify district-issued lessons, pilot these lessons in RPP teachers’ classrooms, and develop design principles for transdisciplinary lesson modification. In Phase 2, the team will develop an instructional model for teacher professional learning and pilot the model in a permanent UMD course for in-service K-12 teachers called Teaching and Learning Computer Science. In Phase 3, the team will disseminate materials, design principles, and the professional learning model in a web-based resource for teachers and teacher educators. Throughout the project, data will be collected to evaluate the efficacy of the design principles, lessons, and professional learning model and to build new knowledge about teaching and learning CS, specifically for English Learners. The project’s research will explore: (1) What opportunities and challenges arise when an RPP team with diverse needs and expertise works to support authentic, sustainable transdisciplinary integration in elementary schools? (2) What opportunities and challenges to transdisciplinary integration do RPP stakeholders identify as they pilot modified lessons, particularly with respect to EL students' participation in CS-infused transdisciplinary STEM? and (3) What affordances does the professional learning model have, if any, for influencing teachers’ perspectives on transdisciplinary STEM and computer science integration in elementary teaching and learning? Video and artifacts from RPP teachers’ implementations of modified lessons will be collected and analyzed. Curated implementation videos will also be published online as a pedagogical resource. Video of RPP meetings and surveys/interviews of RPP members will support analyses of RPP dynamics. Video and artifacts from the pilot professional learning implementation (in the UMD course for teachers) will be used to iterate the learning model and contribute to the field’s understanding of how to support sustainable teacher learning and belief change. 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.