Rethink Learning Inc

COMPUTATIONAL THINKING COUNTS IN ELEMENTARY GRADES: POWERFUL STEM TEACHING AND LEARNING FOR THE 21ST CENTURY -COMPUTATIONAL THINKING (CT) IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS AN ANALYTICAL PRACTICE THAT INVOLVES ENGAGING IN PROBLEM SOLVING, (RE)FORMULATING PROBLEMS AND EXPRESSING SOLUTIONS IN WAYS THAT CAN BE CARRIED OUT BY A HUMAN OR A MACHINE. OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE IN CT DURING THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL YEARS OFTEN OCCUR IN AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS OR OTHER INFORMAL LEARNING SETTINGS. TO INCREASE THE REACH OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES, THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING APPROACH THAT INTRODUCES GRADES 3-5 TEACHERS IN THREE LOW-INCOME SCHOOLS TO CT, SUPPORTS THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THE MATH AND SCIENCE THEY TEACH, AND SUPPORTS THE INTEGRATION OF CT INTO THEIR MATH AND SCIENCE INSTRUCTION. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE STEM + COMPUTING (STEM+C) PROGRAM THAT SUPPORTS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT TO UNDERSTAND THE INTEGRATION OF COMPUTING AND COMPUTATIONAL THINKING IN STEM LEARNING. AS COMPUTING HAS BECOME INTEGRAL TO THE PRACTICE OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS (STEM), THE STEM+COMPUTING PROGRAM SEEKS TO ADDRESS EMERGING CHALLENGES IN COMPUTATIONAL STEM AREAS THROUGH THE APPLIED INTEGRATION OF COMPUTATIONAL THINKING AND COMPUTING ACTIVITIES WITHIN STEM TEACHING AND LEARNING IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL (PREK-12). GROUNDED IN WENGER'S COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE AND DESIGN-BASED INSTRUCTIONAL RESEARCH, LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEACHERS INCLUDE: THREE, ONE-WEEK SUMMER WORKSHOPS; MONTHLY VIDEO CLUBS FOCUSED ON TEACHER NOTICING (18 HOURS PER ACADEMIC YEAR); IN-CLASS SUPPORT; AN ANNUAL MINI-CONFERENCE; AND SCHOOL, FAMILY, AND COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS. ACROSS THESE ACTIVITIES, THE PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON TWO PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES: DESIGN THINKING AND PROJECT-BASED LEARNING, AND WILL INVOLVE EDUCATORS IN THE CURRICULUM DESIGN PROCESS. DATA TO BE COLLECTED INCLUDE VIDEO OF TEACHER LEARNING ACTIVITIES, TEACHER INTERVIEWS, SELF-REPORT SURVEYS, ARTIFACTS AND ASSESSMENTS OF TEACHER KNOWLEDGE OF MATH, SCIENCE AND CT. OUTCOMES OF THE PROJECT INCLUDE TEACHER-DEVELOPED PROJECT-BASED OR DESIGN THINKING LESSONS; A LONGITUDINAL UNDERSTANDING OF TEACHER PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR PROMOTING CT IN THE ELEMENTARY GRADES, A SCALABLE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING MODEL, AND A SET OF VIDEO TEACHING CASES THAT OFFER TEACHERS MODELS OF HOW TO IMPLEMENT CT LESSONS IN WAYS THAT RECOGNIZE A VARIETY OF STUDENT THINKING STRATEGIES. 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: APPLYING AND REFINING A MODEL FOR DYNAMIC, DISCUSSION-BASED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS ABOUT FRACTIONS, RATIOS AND PROPORTIONS -THIS PROJECT EXPLORES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TWO DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (PD) DESIGNED TO ENHANCE MIDDLE SCHOOL MATHEMATICS TEACHERS? UNDERSTANDING OF FRACTIONS AND PROPORTIONS, AND THEIR TEACHING OF THESE MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS TO STUDENTS. THE PD USES AN APPROACH THAT ENGAGES TEACHERS WITH WEB-BASED APPS THAT ALLOW THEM TO TEST AND EXPERIMENT WITH THEIR MATHEMATICAL IDEAS. THE APPS, COMBINED WITH GUIDING QUESTIONS THAT CHALLENGE TEACHERS? THINKING ABOUT FRACTIONS AND PROPORTIONS, SERVE BOTH TO PROMOTE CRITICAL THINKING ABOUT THE CONCEPTS AND TO FURTHER DEVELOPING THEIR UNDERSTANDINGS OF THE CONCEPTS. THE RESEARCHERS WILL USE AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH, TOPIC MODELING, TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EACH OF VERSION OF THE PD. TOPIC MODELING WILL ALLOW THE RESEARCHERS TO IDENTIFY PATTERNS IN THE LANGUAGE TEACHERS USE AS THEY PARTICIPATE IN THE PD, AND SUBSEQUENTLY, TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE UNDERSTANDING TEACHERS DEVELOP. THE PROJECT HAS PROMISE TO NOT ONLY ENHANCE TEACHERS? INSTRUCTION ON TOPICS WITH WHICH STUDENTS HAVE TRADITIONALLY STRUGGLED, BUT ALSO TO DEMONSTRATE THE VIABILITY OF TOPIC MODELS AS A MEANS TO MEASURE LEARNING USING NATURAL LANGUAGE?AN APPROACH THAT COULD POTENTIALLY REPLACE LARGE-SCALE, MULTIPLE-CHOICE TESTS AS A MEASURE OF STUDENT LEARNING WITH LEARNING ACTIVITIES IN THE CLASSROOM. THE PROJECT USES A DESIGN-BASED RESEARCH APPROACH TO FOCUS ON THREE MAIN GOALS: EXPANSION OF A PILOT PD MODEL TO INCLUDE FRACTIONS AND PROPORTIONS; TESTING OF A CONJECTURE ABOUT THE PD MODEL FOCUSED ON SUPPORTING TEACHERS IN MAKING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN LEARNING CONTENT IN NOVEL WAYS TO DEVELOPING PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE (PCK) FROM THEIR EXPERIENCES; AND IMPLEMENTING TOPIC MODELING AS AN ASSESSMENT MODEL FOR MEASURING CHANGES IN TEACHERS? PARTICIPATION IN THE PD. TOPIC MODELS WILL BE USED AS THE PRIMARY ASSESSMENT, RATHER THAN PENCIL AND PAPER ASSESSMENTS, BECAUSE OF THEIR ALIGNMENT TO THE CONTENT AND THE PD APPROACH, WHICH IS HIGHLY INTERACTIVE AND FOCUSED ON CONJECTURE TESTING. THE USE OF TOPIC MODELING OPENS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR QUALITATIVE DATA TO BE USED AS AN ASSESSMENT TOOL RATHER THAN RELYING ON ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS THAT MAY NOT BE ALIGNED TO THE INSTRUCTION. PROPOSED OUTCOMES OF THIS WORK INCLUDE: A POOL OF MATHEMATICAL TASKS FOR TEACHERS THAT SUPPORT PLAYFUL ENGAGEMENT WITH IMPORTANT MATHEMATICAL IDEAS; A GUIDE OUTLINING A COHERENT 30-HOUR EXPERIENCE FOR TEACHERS THAT ENGAGES IN DEVELOPING BOTH CONTENT KNOWLEDGE AND PCK RELATED TO FRACTIONS, RATIOS, AND PROPORTIONS; EVIDENCE OF THE PD PROGRAM?S EFFECTIVENESS THAT RELIES ON TOPIC MODELING TO MEASURE CHANGE IN TEACHERS? PARTICIPATION AND LEARNING IN THE WORKSHOPS; DATA ON TWO DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO SUPPORTING TEACHERS IN LINKING CONTENT KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT TO PCK DEVELOPMENT; AND A CODING FRAMEWORK THAT DEFINES ?ROBUST? UNDERSTANDING OF FRACTIONS RELATED TO REFERENT UNITS AND INVARIANCE. ALL ASPECTS OF THE PD WILL BE GROUNDED IN THE USE OF DYNAMIC, WEB-BASED ?TOYS? (APPS) THAT HAVE BEEN DESIGNED TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF ROBUST UNDERSTANDINGS OF PROPORTION AND FRACTION CONCEPTS. CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FIELD INCLUDE THE PD MODEL, THE ROBUST UNDERSTANDINGS FRAMEWORK, AND FINDINGS SPECIFIC TO THE USE OF TOPIC MODELS. ONE SUCH CONTRIBUTION WILL BE FURTHER INSIGHT INTO THE SAMPLE SIZE NECESSARY TO USE TOPIC MODELS FOR ASSESSMENT, WHICH WILL HELP THE FIELD BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE THIS QUANTITATIVE APPROACH WITH RELATIVELY SMALL QUALITATIVE DATA SETS. 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

EAGER: SATC AI-CYBERSECURITY: OPENING DOORS FOR CYBERSECURITY & AI: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO ENGAGING MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS -AS RELIANCE ON TECHNOLOGY INCREASES ACROSS SOCIETY, IT IS CRITICAL TO DEVELOP A POPULATION THAT IS MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT AND ENGAGED IN THE TOPICS OF CYBERSECURITY AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI). THE AIM OF THE OPENING DOORS PROJECT IS TO ENGAGE INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS IN THE FIELDS OF CYBERSECURITY AND AI IN CONVERSATIONS WITH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCHERS, AI AND CYBERSECURITY RESEARCHERS, AND K-12 TEACHERS. THESE CONVERSATIONS WILL SERVE AS A MEANS TO IDENTIFY DISCIPLINARY KNOWLEDGE, INCLUDING NEEDS AND BENEFITS, AT THE INTERSECTION OF CYBERSECURITY AND AI. THE GROUP WILL WORK TO IDENTIFY WAYS TO ENGAGE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS AND THEIR TEACHERS IN LEARNING ABOUT AI, CYBERSECURITY, AND THE INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN THEM. BY INCLUDING THIS ARRAY OF VOICES, THE PROJECT WILL GENERATE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN INDUSTRY AND ACADEMIC EXPECTATIONS. THE DISCUSSION WILL ALSO DRIVE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SURVEY THAT CAN BE USED TO DETERMINE WHAT STUDENTS KNOW ABOUT AI AND CYBERSECURITY AS WELL AS A PROOF-OF-CONCEPT INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE THAT ADDRESSES ONE OF THE IDENTIFIED GAPS IN KNOWLEDGE. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL ALSO DOCUMENT THE PROCESS FOR BUILDING THIS INTERDISCIPLINARY COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE TO FOCUS ON A SINGLE ISSUE IN WAYS THAT SHAPE STUDENTS? EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES. THE PROJECT WILL DETERMINE WHETHER INVESTING EFFORT INTO DECIPHERING WHAT MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS DO KNOW, AND WHAT THEY CAN KNOW, WILL LEAD TO STUDENTS WHO ARE MORE ENGAGED IN CYBERSECURITY AND AI AS CITIZENS, USERS, PROGRAMMERS, OR IN OTHER ROLES AS THEY MATURE INTO ADULTHOOD. THE OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT WILL ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURE OF EXPERTISE OF RESEARCHERS AND PROFESSIONALS IN AI AND CYBERSECURITY, AS WELL AS SUPPORTING AND STUDYING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THEM, WHILE EXPLORING WAYS TO TRANSLATE THAT EXPERTISE INTO CURRICULA FOR WIDESPREAD DISSEMINATION TO MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS AND STUDENTS. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL USE A COMBINATION OF QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE APPROACHES TO ACCOMPLISH THE FOLLOWING OUTCOMES: (1) THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTERDISCIPLINARY THINK TANK ALONG WITH A DOCUMENTED PROCESS FOR CREATING IT THAT CAN INFORM OTHERS INTERESTED IN BUILDING SIMILAR PARTNERSHIPS; (2) THE DEVELOPMENT OF SURVEY INSTRUMENTS DESIGNED TO UNCOVER WHAT MIDDLE GRADES STUDENTS UNDERSTAND ABOUT AI, CYBERSECURITY, AND THE INTERSECTION OF THESE TWO AREAS AS THEY AFFECT THEIR LIVES, AS WELL AS POSSIBLE CAREERS AVAILABLE IN THIS INTERDISCIPLINARY SPACE; (3) FINDINGS FROM THE SURVEY ON POSSIBLE GAPS AS WELL AS WHAT MIDDLE GRADES STUDENTS UNDERSTAND ABOUT THESE AREAS; AND (4) ONE PROOF-OF-CONCEPT LEARNING MODULE THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED BY ANY MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER ANYWHERE. THIS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY A SPECIAL INITIATIVE OF THE SECURE AND TRUSTWORTHY CYBERSPACE (SATC) PROGRAM TO FOSTER NEW, PREVIOUSLY UNEXPLORED, COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN THE FIELDS OF CYBERSECURITY, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, AND EDUCATION. THE SATC PROGRAM ALIGNS WITH THE FEDERAL CYBERSECURITY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN AND THE NATIONAL PRIVACY RESEARCH STRATEGY TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE THE GROWING SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF CYBER SYSTEMS WHILE ENSURING SECURITY AND PRIVACY. 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.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.