| NSF Org: |
CNS Division Of Computer and Network Systems |
| Recipient: |
|
| Initial Amendment Date: | August 8, 2017 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | May 10, 2022 |
| Award Number: | 1738677 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Allyson Kennedy
aykenned@nsf.gov (703)292-8905 CNS Division Of Computer and Network Systems CSE Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering |
| Start Date: | August 15, 2017 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2023 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $998,737.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $998,737.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
|
| History of Investigator: |
|
| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
426 AUDITORIUM RD RM 2 EAST LANSING MI US 48824-2600 (517)355-5040 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
|
| Primary Place of Performance: |
620 Farm Lane, Room 509A East Lansing MI US 48824-1620 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
|
| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
|
| Parent UEI: |
|
| NSF Program(s): | STEM + Computing (STEM+C) Part |
| Primary Program Source: |
|
| Program Reference Code(s): |
|
| Program Element Code(s): |
|
| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.070 |
ABSTRACT
Michigan State University, in partnership with the Oakland Intermediate School District and the American Institute for Research, proposes a project--CT4EDU--that will design, implement, and assess a high-quality, integrated curriculum, and professional development that supports elementary school teachers in embedding computational thinking (CT) into their classrooms. Currently exposure to CT is too often limited to students participating in an accelerated curriculum (i.e. gifted and talented) or in after school activities (i.e. coding clubs). This is a highly inequitable system in which only those students who have the resources and access can build on CT in their elementary years. By embedding CT into 3rd to 5th grade, in-school science and mathematics curriculum, this project aims to give all students early access to computing.
This proposal will establish a Research Practitioner Partnership (RPP) using a Network Improvement Community approach to identifying problems of practice and points of opportunity in curriculum/teaching practices where CT can intersect with science and mathematics at the elementary level. Teachers, curriculum directors, and researchers will co-design CT activities and lesson plans in the context of their elementary school classrooms. They will also collaborate in addressing equity issues around engaging historically underrepresented students in CT, focusing on student participation in classroom discourse during CT activities. Finally, the researchers will examine the impact of the CT curriculum on student thinking and teacher practices around computing.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
Note:
When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external
site maintained by the publisher. Some full text articles may not yet be available without a
charge during the embargo (administrative interval).
Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from
this site.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The goal of the project was to engage teachers and district administration in co-design of lessons and activities to support elementary teachers in incorporating computer science concepts (i.e., computational thinking, or CT) within the context of science and mathematics instruction in grades 2-5. Over the course of the project, we led summer professional learning workshops for 70 elementary educators including content area and technology coaches in Michigan. As a part of the professional learning, we developed a four-week asynchronous online learning module to develop teachers’ foundational CT knowledge that can be disseminated for others to adapt/use. The research from this project has contributed to the development of new knowledge on how to support elementary teachers to integrate computational thinking into their core instruction. Our work has shown that teachers draw upon their existing knowledge of CT-related terminology to make connections to their math and science instruction that could be leveraged in professional development. We also found that teachers (1) use computational thinking to guide their own planning and thinking; (2) use computational thinking to structure their lessons; and (3) present computational thinking concepts to students as general problem solving strategies. An important implication of our work is that a year-long professional learning focused on CT integration in elementary mathematics and science instruction can allow teachers to see the value of CT in enhancing their teaching and see how CT positively impacts students.
Selected references
Schwarz, C., Ahn, W., Yadav, A, & Opps, Z. (2024, April). Elementary teachers’ use of computational thinking to expand students’ reflection and epistemic engagement in science. National Association for Research in Science Teaching.
Ocak, C., Yadav, A., & Macann, V. (2023). Using Computational Thinking as a Metacognitive Tool in the Context of Plugged Vs. Unplugged Computational Activities. In Proceedings of the 17th International Conference of the Learning Sciences-ICLS 2023, pp. 545-552. International Society of the Learning Sciences.
Yadav, A., Ocak, C., & Oliver, A. (2022). Computational Thinking and Metacognition. TechTrends. DOI: 10.1007/s11528-022-00695-z
Larimore, R., Yadav, A., Rich, K., & Shah, N. (2021). Computational thinking in elementary classrooms: Using classroom dialogue to measure equitable participation. Proceedings of the Research in Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering (RESPECT).
Rich, K. M., Yadav, A., & Larimore, R. (2020). Teacher implementation profiles for integrating computational thinking into elementary mathematics and science instruction. Education and Information Technologies. DOI: 10.1007/s10639-020-10115-5
Rich, K. M., Yadav, A., & Schwarz, C. V. (2019). Computational thinking, mathematics, and science: Elementary teachers’ perspectives on integration. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 27(2), 165-205
Last Modified: 12/13/2023
Modified by: Aman Yadav
Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.
