A cohort of multidisciplinary scholars from Florida State University is wrapping up their work on a grant initiative lasting nine years that engaged around 600 learners in coding to enhance their mathematical education.
In 2016, the National Science Foundation granted $1.1 million to a five-person team of researchers to create coding modules for students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade math classes across the United States. This initiative, titled Computer Science Integrated with Mathematics in Middle Schools (CSIMMS), aimed to familiarize students with basic coding skills at an early stage to foster sustained interest in computer science.
“We aimed to introduce more middle school students to computer coding through general math classes,” stated Ellen Granger, head of the Office of STEM Teaching Activities at FSU. “By introducing coding at this early stage, we hope to inspire students to pursue computer science in high school and thereafter.”
“We aimed to introduce more middle school students to computer coding through general math classes. By introducing coding at this early stage, we hope to inspire students to pursue computer science in high school and thereafter.”
– Ellen Granger, head of the Office of STEM Teaching Activities
The curriculum employs Scratch, a child-friendly programming language with a visual interface that supports storytelling, animation, and personalization. Classrooms implementing the CSIMMS modules follow Scratch tutorials while grasping key computer science concepts that enhance grade-level maths content.
Christine Andrews-Larson, associate professor of mathematics and math education, points out that middle school years are a pivotal period for a student’s individual growth.
“Students start questioning whether they are ‘math people’ or ‘science people,’” she remarked. “With this curriculum, we provide an entry path into STEM fields, allowing students to view themselves as active participants in STEM.”
Throughout the course of the nine-year project, 16 math educators from four different Florida middle schools collaborated to develop and assess the curriculum within their classrooms. Nearly 600 learners were instructed using the modules during the project’s design phase, and the curriculum is now accessible to educators free of charge via Florida State Open Publishing.
Additional contributors to the grant team include computer science professor Xin Yuan, computer science professor David Whalley, and Sherry Southerland, the Anne and John Daves Professor of Science Education in the School of Teacher Education.
Discover more about the FSU Office of STEM Teaching activities at bio.fsu.edu/osta. To find out more about computer science at FSU, head to cs.fsu.edu. Learn more about the FSU Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences at annescollege.fsu.edu.
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