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1. Studying the Interactions Between Science, Engineering, and Computational Thinking in a Learning-by-Modeling Environment.

   https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52237-7_48  

   Zhang, N. ; Biswas, G. ; McElhaney, K. ; Basu, S. ; McBride, E. ; Chiu, J. ( June 2020 , In: Bittencourt I., Cukurova M., Muldner K., Luckin R., Millán E. (eds) Artificial Intelligence in Education. AIED 2020. Lecture Notes in Computer Science.)

   Computational Thinking (CT) can play a central role in fostering students' integrated learning of science and engineering. We adopt this framework to design and develop the Water Runoff Challenge (WRC) curriculum for lower middle school students in the USA. This paper presents (1) the WRC curriculum implemented in an integrated computational modeling and engineering design environment and (2) formative and summative assessments used to evaluate learner’s science, engineering, and CT skills as they progress through the curriculum. We derived a series of performance measures associated with student learning from system log data and the assessments. By applying Path Analysis we found significant relations between measures of science, engineering, and CT learning, indicating that they are mutually supportive of learning across these disciplines. 

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2. Integrating computational thinking into middle school science through co-designed storylines

   Biddy, Q. ; Gendreau Chakarov, A. ; Jacobs, J. ; Recker, M. ; Sumner, T. ; Penuel, W. ( January 2020 , Association for Science Teacher Education)

   We describe a professional development model that supports teachers to integrate computational thinking (CT) and computer science principles into middle school science and STEM classes. The model includes the collaborative design (co-design) (Voogt et al., 2015) of storylines or curricular units aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013) that utilize programmable sensors such as those contained on the micro:bit. Teachers spend several workshops co-designing CT-integrated storylines and preparing to implement them with their own students. As part of this process, teachers develop or modify curricular materials to ensure a focus on coherent, student driven instruction through the investigation of scientific phenomena that are relevant to the students and utilize sensor technology. Teachers implement the storylines and meet to collaboratively reflect on their instructional practices as well as their students’ learning. Throughout this cyclical, multi-year process, teachers develop expertise in CT-integrated science instruction as they plan for and use instructional practices that align with three dimension science teaching and foreground computational thinking. Throughout the professional learning process, teachers alternate between wearing their “student hats” and their “teacher hats”, in order to maintain both a student and teacher perspective as they co-design and reflect on their implementation of CT-integrated units. This paper illustrates two teachers’ experiences of the professional development process over a two-year period, including their learning, planning, implementation, and reflection on two co-designed units. 

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3. Using Computational Modeling to Integrate Science and Engineering Curricular Activities

   McElhaney, K.W. ; Zhang, N. ; Basu, S. ; McBride, E. ; Biswas, G. ; Chiu, J.L. ( January 2020 , In M. Gresalfi & I.S. Horn (Eds.). The Interdisciplinarity of the Learning Sciences, 14th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) 2020)

   We articulate a framework for using computational modeling to coherently integrate the design of science and engineering curricular experiences. We describe how this framework informs the design of the Water Runoff Challenge (WRC), a multi-week curriculum unit and modeling environment that integrates Earth science, engineering, and computational modeling for upper elementary and lower middle school students. In the WRC, students develop conceptual and computational models of surface water runoff, then use simulations incorporating their models to develop, test, and optimize solutions to the runoff problem. We conducted a classroom pilot study where we collected students’ learning artifacts and data logged from their use of the computational environment. We illustrate opportunities students had to integrate science, engineering, and computational thinking during the unit in a pair of contrasting vignettes. 

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4. Teaching computational thinking in grade school requires “just right” individual teacher support

   https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12649  

   Miller‐Rushing, Anica ; Brasili, Alexandria ( February 2024 , School Science and Mathematics)

   In‐service teachers implementing a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculum centered on computational thinking (CT) work with unique content and pedagogical experiences. Understanding how curriculum design and teacher professional development affect curriculum implementation can help researchers understand the critical aspects of supporting the teacher in “just right” ways to learn and teach an embedded CT curriculum. We qualitatively analyzed 22 teachers' discourse through a case study approach. We identified how CT is afforded and constrained through curriculum design and teacher professional development support. Teachers expressed that the supports that were critical to their confidence and perceived ability to teach CT were (a) a program that provides “just right” support, (b) a program that provides options and individualization, (c) an internal personal identity that embraces continual innovation and learning, and (d) an educational system that is encouraging and supportive of the effort and creativity it requires to implement innovative and intensive embedded CT programs. These findings can inform how to support teachers to integrate CT within existing STEM curricula as a core scientific and mathematical practice and to foster student interest in computer science.

    

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5. A Professional Development Model to Integrate Computational Thinking Into Middle School Science Through Codesigned Storylines

   Biddy, Q. ; Gendreau Chakarov, A. ; Bush, J. ; Hennessy Elliott, C. ; Jacobs, J. ; Recker, M. ; Sumner, T. ; Penuel, W. ( March 2021 , Contemporary issues in technology and teacher education)

   This article describes a professional development (PD) model, the CT-Integration Cycle, that supports teachers in learning to integrate computational thinking (CT) and computer science principles into their middle school science and STEM instruction. The PD model outlined here includes collaborative design (codesign; Voogt et al., 2015) of curricular units aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) that use programmable sensors. Specifically, teachers can develop or modify curricular materials to ensure a focus on coherent, student-driven instruction through the investigation of scientific phenomena that are relevant to students and integrate CT and sensor technology. Teachers can implement these storylines and collaboratively reflect on their instructional practices and student learning. Throughout this process, teachers may develop expertise in CT-integrated science instruction as they plan and use instructional practices aligned with the NGSS and foreground CT. This paper describes an examination of a group of five middle school teachers’ experiences during one iteration of the CT-Integration Cycle, including their learning, planning, implementation, and reflection on a unit they codesigned. Throughout their participation in the PD, the teachers expanded their capacity to engage deeply with CT practices and thoughtfully facilitated a CT-integrated unit with their students. 

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