Goals of Ph2M
The "From Phenomenon to Model" (Ph2M) initiative aims to assist secondary school science instructors in incorporating computer science principles into their science curriculum. We are collaborating with the Los Angeles Unified School District Local District North (LAUSD North) to introduce integrated CS-Science activities to educators and offer support in implementing them. The central goal of the Ph2M project is to provide educational materials that encourage students to investigate scientific phenomena, ultimately leading to the creation of a mathematical or computational model of these phenomena. Through professional development activities, we will aid science teachers in effectively using computer science principles and practices to enhance their modeling work with useful technology tools. This approach has the potential to enhance students' comprehension of both science and the Computer Science Concepts and Principles as specified in the CA Computer Science Standards for K12 Students.
Ph2M Team
Brian Foley
Norm Herr
Li Liu
Timeline
Fall 2023
Develop prototype investigations of phenomena using primary modeling tools
Pilot activities with the Science Education MA students
Obtain IRB authorization to collect data on summer institutes
Spring 2024
Hold a Saturday workshop on computational modeling for science teachers
Recruit teachers for summer workshop
Continue to develop resources based on feedback from pilot tests.
Develop a website for teachers to learn about the new resources
Summer 2024
Hold a 5-day summer institute on computational modeling for science students.
Assess the effectiveness of the institute
Get commitments from teachers on using Ph2M materials in their classes
Fall 2024
Support and monitor implementation of modeling activities in classes of institute participants
Assess impact of Ph2M activities on students
Present a computational modeling session at the CASE conference
Ph2M is an effort of the CSUN Science Learning Collaboratory.
Project funded by the California Subject Matter Projects as part of their Computer Science Integration Program