Systems 2016, 4(4), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems4040038
Designing Computer-Supported Complex Systems Curricula for the Next Generation Science Standards in High School Science Classrooms
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Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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MIT Scheller Teacher Education Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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Governor’s Academy, Byfield, MA 01922, USA
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Faculty of Arts and Social Social Sciences, Lancaster University, Lancashire LA1 4YD, UK
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Ministry of Education, Singapore
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Nam Nguyen
Received: 28 August 2016 / Revised: 29 November 2016 / Accepted: 1 December 2016 / Published: 3 December 2016
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Approaches and Tools for Managing Complexity)
Abstract
We present a curriculum and instruction framework for computer-supported teaching and learning about complex systems in high school science classrooms. This work responds to a need in K-12 science education research and practice for the articulation of design features for classroom instruction that can address the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) recently launched in the USA. We outline the features of the framework, including curricular relevance, cognitively rich pedagogies, computational tools for teaching and learning, and the development of content expertise, and provide examples of how the framework is translated into practice. We follow this up with evidence from a preliminary study conducted with 10 teachers and 361 students, aimed at understanding the extent to which students learned from the activities. Results demonstrated gains in students’ complex systems understanding and biology content knowledge. In interviews, students identified influences of various aspects of the curriculum and instruction framework on their learning. View Full-Text
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MDPI and ACS Style
Yoon, S.A.; Anderson, E.; Klopfer, E.; Koehler-Yom, J.; Sheldon, J.; Schoenfeld, I.; Wendel, D.; Scheintaub, H.; Oztok, M.; Evans, C.; Goh, S.-E. Designing Computer-Supported Complex Systems Curricula for the Next Generation Science Standards in High School Science Classrooms. Systems 2016, 4, 38.
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