Learning progressions allow researchers to describe key milestones along a pathway of thinking about a topic or practice that ranges from beginner to advanced. For learning related to science practices, some progressions can be abstracted from specific content; others are connected to specific science understandings. This research centers on the design of a middle school science game to support learning of science practices through simulated immersive experiences in which students engage in science practices of experimentation, modeling, and argumentation. This work-in-progress paper describes the application of current research on learning progressions to the design of the game interface and interactions for Aqualab, a game to teach middle school science practices related to aquatic ecosystems.

Computational thinking and scientific modeling are essential STEM education practices, and visual block-based programming interfaces offer new opportunities to make coding accessible in elementary school science. The EcoMOD research project blends computational modeling and ecosystem science learning through a 3D virtual forest ecosystem combined with a 2D visual block-based programming tool, for 3rd and 4th grade students (ages 8-10). During a 14-day curriculum, students explore an immersive virtual forest ecosystem, and program agent-based computational models of a beaver building a dam. As students run their program and watch their beaver agent go through the steps of building a dam, they observe the emergent outcomes as their programmed model impacts other elements of the ecosystem. The final curriculum was implemented with 7 teachers and approximately 150 students.

In recent years, the field of education has challenged researchers and practitioners to incorporate computing as an essential focus of K12 STEM education. Widely recognized as a "basic skill" necessary for economic opportunity and social mobility, integrating computing within K12 STEM supports learners of all ages in applying computational thinking within established and accessible contexts while co-developing practices essential to mathematical and scientific expertise. The EcoMOD project is an example of such an integration. In EcoMOD, immersive virtual environments are blended with interactive computational modeling tools designed specifically for younger children in an attempt to support ecological knowledge, complex causal reasoning and computational creation in third grade students. Our curricular design is grounded in the Science-as-Practice perspective and literature on young children's computing. In this proposal, we present outcomes from early pilot work with 35 third graders across the greater Boston area. This work has implications for designers of educational technologies by illuminating aspects of children's understanding that researchers and designers can leverage to support deeper and earlier understandings of ecological dynamics and computational practices.