David Weintrop - US grants

Research shows that instruction is more effective when content is situated in contexts familiar to learners. This project builds on a successful introductory computer science curriculum, called Scratch Encore, to explore ways to support teachers in bringing together - or harmonizing - existing Scratch Encore instructional materials with themes that reflect the interests, cultures, and experiences of their students, schools, and communities. In designing these harmonized lessons, teachers create customized activities that resonate with their students while retaining the structure and content of the original Scratch Encore lesson. To understand the impact of teaching and learning with such harmonized materials, the project is conducting a classroom study with partnering schools. This project is broadening participation in computing both by working directly with teachers from schools with high numbers of students from populations historically underrepresented in computing and by providing teachers with tools to more effectively teach diverse populations. In doing so, this work advances our understanding of the kinds of tools and training that are needed to support teachers in designing personalized computer science instructional materials.<br/><br/>This project is conducting foundational research that pursues two goals: (1) understanding how to support teachers in creating localized, culturally responsive computer science instructional materials and (2) understanding the effects of those materials on students. To inform the design of the professional development materials and customized curriculum development materials, participatory design sessions are managed by experienced teachers and the materials are being iteratively revised as part of a multi-year study. To understand the impact of the use of localized, culturally responsive materials in the classroom, a mixed-methods study collects data from classrooms where teacher-created culturally responsive lessons are taught. This work is focused on two geographically distinct regions. Subsequently, the study enrolls a national cohort of teachers to participate in the professional development sessions to understand how culturally responsive designs differ across more regions. Finally, wide dissemination is supported through a platform for teachers to share and use the customized, culturally responsive Scratch Encore materials that are developed. 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.<br/><br/>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.