| NSF Org: |
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | August 1, 2019 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | December 8, 2022 |
| Award Number: | 1923633 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Michael Ford
miford@nsf.gov (703)292-5153 DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | October 1, 2019 |
| End Date: | September 30, 2023 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $299,998.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $299,998.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1250 SISKIYOU BLVD ASHLAND OR US 97520-5001 (541)552-8662 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
OR US 97520-5001 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | STEM + Computing (STEM+C) Part |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
The United States does not adequately prepare students underrepresented in computing -- especially females; racial, ethnic, and linguistic minorities; and low-income students -- to meet college requirements in computer science (CS). Southern Oregon, in particular, has significant interest in offering CS educational opportunities to its PK-12 students but is still currently developing the infrastructure to support implementation, amidst a student population becoming more diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, and languages spoken. This project, focused on integrating computational thinking (CT) into the K-5 instruction of general elementary and elementary bilingual teachers, will grow the early collaboration efforts initially started in 2015 into a formalized networked improvement community (NIC) in southern Oregon. This NIC would include Southern Oregon University (SOU), Ashland School District, Phoenix-Talent School District, and the American Institutes for Research (AIR). Over two years, this project aims to do the following: (a) move from initial collaboration to a fully-formed NIC that meets regularly and engages in three cycles of improvement; (b) pilot a summer institute that supports its first cohort of elementary teachers; (c) co-create lesson plans that integrate CT into elementary subjects; (d) build prototype instructional materials that districts can use to engage elementary teachers, whether they are early adopters of CT or reticent to implement. This research presents an innovative approach to CT instruction and PD that could influence the pathway to CS for elementary students. The education division at SOU will sustain the NIC's work by implementing CT training into the STEM methodology class that is required for all elementary preservice teachers and including CT training in ongoing summer institutes for inservice teachers. In addition, the project's broad dissemination plan would reach practitioners and scholars throughout the nation in computer science and elementary education, thus extending the study's findings beyond southern Oregon. This project is supported by the Computer Science for All: Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships program.
The research questions center around how systems, structures, and professional development (PD) can be constructed to facilitate elementary and bilingual elementary teachers' knowledge of and confidence in CT instruction. The research will investigate how CT PD and CT instructional activities can engage students from low-income, Latinx and linguistically diverse groups, and enable teachers to be more willing to move from CT concepts to integrating CS using technological devices. The research will examine how incorporating language arts and math in CT instruction could increase the ability and confidence of elementary teachers - general and bilingual - in both CT and CS. Furthermore, the project will investigate how CT PD could support teachers in actively engaging students from groups that are underrepresented in computing. Using a mixed methods approach, the project will collect and analyze data from surveys, observations, and interviews.
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.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
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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.
Final Outcomes Report for RUI: Empowering K-5 Teachers in Southern Oregon Through Computational Thinking. NSF#1923633
January 2024
Empowering K-5 Teachers in Southern Oregon Through Computational Thinking was a researcher practitioner partnership (RPP) focused on incorporating computational thinking (CT) into the elementary curriculum. Our research investigated which systems were necessary for elementary and elementary bilingual teachers to integrate CT in their lessons across the curriculum; how CT professional development should be structured so that teachers could effectively engage underrepresented groups and in particular Latinx student populations; and which strategies would enable elementary and elementary bilingual teachers to move from CT to integrating computer science. For this research, CT is understood as being comprised of four concepts: pattern recognition, abstraction, decomposition, and algorithms. To facilitate equity, and enhance teacher comfort levels, we used an “unplugged” method of CT. This enabled K-5 educators to teach CT without any devices, thus addressing teacher technology reticence and equalizing all classrooms as there was no requirement for computers.
Our RPP consisted of two cohorts of K-5 teachers from two school districts in southern Oregon and five researchers: four from universities and one from a research organization. In this two-year grant cycle, we initiated a pilot year with four teachers and then expanded to a larger second year teacher cohort which engaged in three PDSA (plan, do, study, act) cycles centered around integrating CT into core curriculum. After an initial week-long summer professional development, teachers incorporated CT into math, English language arts, science, and social science classroom lessons. Research data were collected from lesson plans; teacher reflections on lesson plans and lesson deliveries; professional development evaluation surveys; recorded classroom lesson deliveries; pre- and post-surveys measuring teacher CT and CS knowledge, experience, and comfort levels; pre- and post-assessments of student knowledge; and teacher interviews.
CT Lesson Integration
Based on the analysis of lesson plans and classroom observations, we found that all four of the CT concepts are implicit within math, English language arts, social science and science. CT was not simply an add-in; the educators adopted CT as a pedagogical tool for teaching core content. In addition, observations of CT lessons revealed that teachers demonstrated both an explicit (intentional) use and inexplicit (unintentional) use of CT during instruction. Thus, CT is already embedded in pedagogical practices that teachers, researchers, and students engage in daily.
Engaging Underrepresented Groups
In addition to a strong focus on bilingual education in our small project, equity was addressed and supported throughout all components of the research. During the first year of the RPP, biweekly professional development meetings included discussions on how teachers can change their pedagogy to address gender norms and support Latinx students by using inclusive practices that consider cultural experiences and expectations. The CT lesson plan template, which teachers used for all CT lessons throughout the second year, asked for evidence that demonstrated how equity, cultural responsiveness, and accommodations were made for diverse learners. Teachers and researchers worked together to examine how equitable practices could be seamlessly integrated into their lessons. Through a collaborative effort, they crafted and implemented innovative approaches that closely catered to the diverse needs of their students. This cooperative endeavor not only fostered more inclusive lessons but also nurtured profound discussions about equity and embraced diverse methods of learning.
CT Enhancing Language Development
One of the participating school districts serves a large Latinx population (40% of the students are Latinx) and includes a two-way language immersion track in two of the three elementary schools. We observed how bilingual teachers in our RPP used CT to promote language practices that supported bilingual students' participation in mathematics and English language arts lessons. CT was also used to enhance language instruction and development in monolingual classes. In future research, we will continue to investigate how the use of CT as a component in instruction facilitates language development in bilingual and monolingual classrooms. Based on preliminary findings, we hypothesize that language use and CT are intertwined.
Role of CT in Computer Science (CS) Integration
Based on interviews and survey results, we found little support that teachers are using CT as a stepping stone to teaching CS. Teachers did feel more prepared to teach CT, think more about CT in everyday life, and planned to continue integrating CT even after the project ended. In future research, we will focus on how CT can contribute to the mastery of CS standards for elementary students.
Last Modified: 01/28/2024
Modified by: Eva M Skuratowicz
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