Computational modeling is widely recognized as an essential skill for the future workforce and success in STEM. This project was a collaboration between the AAPT, American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA), Bootstrap, STEMteachersNYC, and more than 100 secondary physics teachers between 2016 and 2022. It engaged teachers in professional development to plan and implement classroom instruction in algebra-based Physics First courses that integrated computational modeling (one aspect of computational thinking) through two existing, widely used approaches: Modeling Instruction for physics and Bootstrap for computational modeling. This program was especially focused on combating many equity concerns associated with student access to physics and computer science.

Future workshops may be offered through the American Modeling Teachers Association. See a list of AMTA's upcoming workshops.

Read about this project in the Project Overview, or learn more about the project's rationale and research below:

• Resources → See Student Curricular Materials (Teacher materials are only accessible to workshop attendees and beta testers. Contact rvieyra@aapt.org for additional information).
• Video → See what makes our project different in our 2018 STEM for All Showcase video.
• Video → Computing has the potential to connect physics and math through quality, equitable instruction. See project Co-PI Dr.Colleen Megowan-Romanowicz speak at the CS4All Summit 2019.
• Report → Advancing Interdisciplinary Integration of Computational Thinking in Science: Conference Report.

 

Project Overview

Computational thinking is widely recognized as an essential skill for the future workforce and success in STEM. This grant engages teachers in professional development to plan and implement classroom instruction in algebra-based Physics First courses that integrates computational modeling (one aspect of computational thinking) through two existing, widely used approaches - Modeling Instruction for physics and Bootstrap for computational modeling.

This program is especially focused on combating many equity concerns associated with student access to physics sand computer science. Working with Physics First teachers will allow this project to impact student populations which will be demographically more diverse than students historically enrolled in standalone computer science courses or upper-grade physics courses.

This grant supports collaborative efforts between the AAPT, American Modeling Teachers Association, Bootstrap, and STEMteachersNYC.

In August 2016, this project brought together 12 New York area middle school and high school Modeling physics teachers to learn programming using the Pyret language from the team that developed the nationally-recognized Bootstrap project to teach algebra to students through computer science. During the workshop, participants developed curricular resources - compatible with Modeling Physics First courses - that they implement throughout the remainder of the school year. In August 2017, a total of 30 teachers came together to revise, expand, and develop additional curricular resources and instructional approaches. Dissemination workshops for teachers new to Modeling and/or Pyret took place in 2018 and 2019.
Learn more about the status of this project at the links below:

• 1 February 2017 - Physics First Modeling: A 3-Week Computational Development Opportunity
• 15 September 2016 - AAPT and Partners AMTA, STEMteachersNYC, and Bootstrap Awarded $1.24M STEM+C Grant.
• 25 January 2018 - "Computational Modeling with Pyret" AAPT Webinar

 

To learn more about this initiative, contact Rebecca Vieyra at rvieyra@aapt.org.