Despite the recent proliferation of research concerning integrating computational thinking (CT) into K-5th grade curriculum, there is little literature concerning how to evaluate the quality of CT integrated curricula, especially curricula integrating CT into language arts and social studies content areas. In this paper, we present a theoretically derived rubric for the evaluation of CT integrated curricula for grades K-5 across the curriculum (math, science, language arts, social studies). Our rubric is divided into two sections. The first section provides guidelines for identifying the integration type (disciplinary, multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, or transdisciplinary). The second section presents six categories of evaluation that further subsume nine sub-categories. The principal categories of evaluation include the following: conceptual coherence, role of computational technology, assessment, use of multiple representations, play, and equity. We include the play category as an aspect of developmental appropriateness. Play is an important pedagogical approach for learning in the early grades. Our work takes place in the context of the Computer Science (CS) for All initiative in the United States which emphasizes the goal of improving racial and gender diversity in CS participation. Therefore, creating integrated lessons that address equity is important. Our paper describes rubric development from the theoretical perspectives that underlie the inclusion of each type, category, and sub-category. Our evaluative rubric can guide future efforts to integrate CT/CS into the elementary curricula. Researchers can utilize our rubric to evaluate and analyze CT-integrated curricula, and educators can benefit from using this rubric as a guideline for curriculum development.
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Developing Pedagogical Practices That Support Disciplinary Practices When Integrating Computer Science Into Elementary School Curriculum
There is a growing movement seeking to promote Computer Science (CS) and Computational Thinking (CT) across K-8 education. While advantageous for supporting student learning through engaging in complex and interdisciplinary learning, integrating CS/CT into the elementary school curriculum can pose curricular and pedagogical challenges. For one, teachers themselves must understand the concepts and disciplinary practices associated with CS/CT and the other content areas being integrated, as well as develop a related pedagogical repertoire. This study addresses how two 3rd grade teachers made sense of the intersection of disciplinary practices and pedagogical practices to support student learning. We present preliminary findings from a Research-Practice Partnership that worked with elementary teachers to integrate aspects of CS/CT practice into existing content areas. We identified two main disciplinary activities that drove their curriculum design and pedagogical practices: (1) the importance of productive frustration and failure; and (2) the importance of precision
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- Award ID(s):
- 1837086
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10185658
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on the Learning Sciences
- Volume:
- 4
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 2289-2292
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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The Maker Partnership Program (MPP) is an NSF-supported project that addresses the critical need for models of professional development (PD) and support that help elementary-level science teachers integrate computer science and computational thinking (CS and CT) into their classroom practices. The MPP aims to foster integration of these disciplines through maker pedagogy and curriculum. The MPP was designed as a research-practice partnership that allows researchers and practitioners to collaborate and iteratively design, implement and test the PD and curriculum. This paper describes the key elements of the MPP and early findings from surveys of teachers and students participating in the program. Our research focuses on learning how to develop teachers’ capacity to integrate CS and CT into elementary-level science instruction; understanding whether and how this integrated instruction promotes deeper student learning of science, CS and CT, as well as interest and engagement in these subjects; and exploring how the model may need to be adapted to fit local contexts. Participating teachers reported gaining knowledge and confidence for implementing the maker curriculum through the PDs. They anticipated that the greatest implementation challenges would be lack of preparation time, inaccessible computer hardware, lack of administrative support, and a lack of CS knowledge. Student survey results show that most participants were interested in CS and science at the beginning of the program. Student responses to questions about their disposition toward collaboration and persistence suggest some room for growth. Student responses to questions about who does CS are consistent with prevalent gender stereotypes (e.g., boys are naturally better than girls at computer programming), particularly among boys.more » « less
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