Building Teacher Capacity for Teaching Across Science Disciplines Using "Smart" Greenhouses

Information

  • NSF Award
  • 2406033
Owner
  • Award Id
    2406033
  • Award Effective Date
    10/1/2024 - 4 months ago
  • Award Expiration Date
    9/30/2027 - 2 years from now
  • Award Amount
    $ 1,128,652.00
  • Award Instrument
    Continuing Grant

Building Teacher Capacity for Teaching Across Science Disciplines Using "Smart" Greenhouses

Transdisciplinary science (sometimes called convergent science) integrates knowledge across STEM disciplines to research complex challenges such as climate science, genetic engineering, or ecology. A small but growing research base suggests that transdisciplinary learning experiences have the potential to engage youth who have been marginalized in STEM. In this project, teachers and students will design smart greenhouses by connecting electronic sensors that can detect light or other environmental data to microcontrollers that can activate devices that water plants and regulate other environmental factors such as temperature or light. This activity brings together engineering, computer science, and horticulture. There is a very limited research based and few examples of curriculum around how professional development can support teachers in using a transdisciplinary approach. Working across urban and rural contexts, the project will engage teachers in professional development as they adopt and adapt instructional materials to support their students in learning across disciplines as they build smart greenhouses. The teachers will participate in both summer institutes and year-long PD activities where they will be first immersed in the same types of transdisciplinary learning experiences their students will be engaged in. Teachers will then co-design the curriculum with the project team for use in the teachers’ local contexts. The project will widely disseminate findings, a teacher professional development model, and “how to” videos on building smart greenhouses” to STEM education researchers, school administrators, teachers, teacher PD developers, and the local community of the school systems.<br/> <br/>The research will investigate how teachers learn about transdisciplinary teaching through professional development, how they use transdisciplinary teaching in their classrooms, and how a transdisciplinary approach affects students’ STEM interest, identity, competence, and connection across disciplines. A mixed methods research methodology will be used. Quantitative data (student and teacher surveys) that will provide a high-level view of the impact of the PD on teachers. Qualitative data (e.g., interviews, video recordings) will uncover teachers’ experiences in the professional development program, their conceptions of transdisciplinary teaching, and how they employ transdisciplinary teaching practices in their local contexts. During the three-year project, a total of 60 teachers and 580 students will be recruited from three states to represent rural and urban districts populations. The research will follow a total of 60 teachers, each participating in one of three 2-year cohorts using a design-based research approach to better understand how to design transdisciplinary STEM projects and understand how teachers make the transition to a transdiscipinary approach. The project will engage nearly 580 youth from historically excluded, low-income, and underrepresented populations in STEM through annual cycles of research. <br/><br/>The project is supported by the Discovery Research preK-12 program (DRK-12), which 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.

  • Program Officer
    Robert Russellrlrussel@nsf.gov7032922995
  • Min Amd Letter Date
    9/20/2024 - 4 months ago
  • Max Amd Letter Date
    9/20/2024 - 4 months ago
  • ARRA Amount

Institutions

  • Name
    Boston College
  • City
    CHESTNUT HILL
  • State
    MA
  • Country
    United States
  • Address
    140 COMMONWEALTH AVE
  • Postal Code
    024673800
  • Phone Number
    6175528000

Investigators

  • First Name
    George
  • Last Name
    Barnett
  • Email Address
    barnetge@bc.edu
  • Start Date
    9/20/2024 12:00:00 AM
  • First Name
    Jacqueline
  • Last Name
    DeLisi
  • Email Address
    jdelisi@edc.org
  • Start Date
    9/20/2024 12:00:00 AM
  • First Name
    Helen
  • Last Name
    Zhang
  • Email Address
    zhangzm@bc.edu
  • Start Date
    9/20/2024 12:00:00 AM
  • First Name
    Avneet
  • Last Name
    Hira
  • Email Address
    avneet.hira@bc.edu
  • Start Date
    9/20/2024 12:00:00 AM

Program Element

  • Text
    Discovery Research K-12
  • Code
    764500

Program Reference

  • Text
    Broaden Particip STEM Resrch
  • Code
    8212
  • Text
    STEM Learning & Learning Environments
  • Code
    8817