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1. Integrating Computing Throughout K-12 While Bridging the Digital Divide

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--46898  

   Borowczak, Mike; Borowczak, Andrea (June 2024, ASEE Conferences)

   There is an ongoing need to integrate computing-related education within existing K-12 curriculum to maintain global competitiveness and security. Our research addresses the challenge of equitable access to concepts from across the computing spectrum - from computing systems to computer science and computational thinking. The research focuses on overcoming the digital divide by enabling K-12 educators to become conduits for computing education, thereby equipping students with essential computational skills and knowledge. Through two National Science Foundation awards, the team used a mixed-methods approach to develop and assess several traditional and non-traditional teacher engagements. These engagements included a week-long professional development program for K-8 educators and librarians, aimed at designing computing lessons for integration into non-CS disciplines, and a six-week research experience for educators, focused on infusing CS and research concepts into classroom environments. Each of these two engagements was repeated for three consecutive years for a total of six engagements. The assessment of these methods involved qualitative analyses of educator feedback, lesson plan evaluations, and quantitative measures of student engagement and learning outcomes. Our collected artifacts includes over 300 teacher-created and led, innovative lessons spanning a broad spectrum of subjects and educational levels. These lessons have directly engaged several thousand students, demonstrating a marked improvement in computational thinking skills across diverse student populations. Moreover, the engagements have resulted in a significant shift towards viewing computational thinking as an integral element of K-12 education, rather than a standalone discipline. This work highlights the process through which educators can become empowered to integrate computing principles across various subjects and also showcases the tangible benefits of such integration. By facilitating the authentic, teacher-led development of computing lessons and their integration into existing curricula, our research underscores the critical role of educators in bridging the digital divide and fostering a comprehensive educational experience that includes topics from across the computing spectrum. 

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2. A Revaluation of Computational Thinking in K–12 Education: Moving Toward Computational Literacies

   https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X211057904  

   Kafai, Yasmin B.; Proctor, Chris (January 2021, Educational Researcher)

   Over the past decade, initiatives around the world have introduced computing into K–12 education under the umbrella of computational thinking. While initial implementations focused on skills and knowledge for college and career readiness, more recent framings include situated computational thinking (identity, participation, creative expression) and critical computational thinking (political and ethical impacts of computing, justice). This expansion reflects a revaluation of what it means for learners to be computationally-literate in the 21st century. We review the current landscape of K–12 computing education, discuss interactions between different framings of computational thinking, and consider how an encompassing framework of computational literacies clarifies the importance of computing for broader K–12 educational priorities as well as key unresolved issues. 

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3. The computational thinking for science (CT-S) framework: operationalizing CT-S for K–12 science education researchers and educators

   https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-022-00391-7  

   Hurt, Timothy; Greenwald, Eric; Allan, Sara; Cannady, Matthew A.; Krakowski, Ari; Brodsky, Lauren; Collins, Melissa A.; Montgomery, Ryan; Dorph, Rena (January 2023, International Journal of STEM Education)

   Abstract Contemporary science is a field that is becoming increasingly computational. Today’s scientists not only leverage computational tools to conduct their investigations, they often must contribute to the design of the computational tools for their specific research. From a science education perspective, for students to learn authentic science practices, students must learn to use the tools of the trade. This necessity in science education has shaped recent K–12 science standards including the Next Generation Science Standards, which explicitly mention the use of computational tools and simulations. These standards, in particular, have gone further and mandated thatcomputational thinkingbe taught and leveraged as a practice of science. While computational thinking is not a new term, its inclusion in K–12 science standards has led to confusion about what the term means in the context of science learning and to questions about how to differentiate computational thinking from other commonly taught cognitive skills in science like problem-solving, mathematical reasoning, and critical thinking. In this paper, we propose a definition ofcomputational thinking for science(CT-S) and a framework for its operationalization in K–12 science education. We situate our definition and framework in Activity Theory, from the learning sciences, in order to position computational thinking as an input to and outcome of science learning that is mediated by computational tools. 

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4. Fostering Interdisciplinary Learning for Elementary Students Through Developing Interactive Digital Stories

   https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47658-7_5  

   Gupta, Anisha; Smith, Andy; Vandenberg, Jessica; ElSayed, Rasha; Fox, Kimkinyona; Minogue, James; Hubbard_Cheuoua, Aleata; Oliver, Kevin; Ringstaff, Cathy; Mott, Bradford (October 2023, Springer, Cham)

   Recent years have seen growing awareness of the potential digital storytelling brings to creating engaging K-12 learning experiences. By fostering students’ interdisciplinary knowledge and skills, digital storytelling holds great promise for realizing positive impacts on student learning in language arts as well as STEM subjects. In parallel, researchers and practitioners increasingly acknowledge the importance of computational thinking in supporting K-12 students’ problem solving across subjects and grade levels, including science and elementary school. Integrating the unique affordances of digital storytelling and computational thinking offers significant potential; however, careful attention must be given to ensure students and teachers are properly supported and not overwhelmed. In this paper, we present our work on a narrative-centered learning environment that engages upper elementary students (ages 9 to 11) in computational thinking and physical science through the creation of interactive science narratives. Leveraging log data from a pilot study with 28 students using the learning environment, we analyze the narrative programs students created across multiple dimensions to better understand the nature of the resulting narratives. Furthermore, we examine automating this analysis using artificial intelligence techniques to support real-time adaptive feedback. Results indicate that the learning environment enabled students to create interactive digital stories demonstrating their understanding of physical science, computational thinking, and narrative concepts, while the automated assessment techniques showed promise for enabling real-time feedback and support. 

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5. Using computational thinking and modeling to build water and watershed literacy

   Caplan, B.; Covitt, B.; Love, G.; Berkowitz, A.R.; Gunckel, K.L.; McClure, C.; Moore, J.C. (January 2021, Connected science learning)

   null (Ed.)

   Engaging students in science learning that integrates disciplinary knowledge and practices such as computational thinking (CT) is a challenge that may represent unfamiliar territory for many teachers. CompHydro Baltimore is a collaborative partnership aimed at enacting Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)–aligned instruction to support students in developing knowledge and practice reflective of the goals laid out in A Framework for K–12 Science Education (National Research Council 2012) “... that by the end of 12th grade, all students possess sufficient knowledge of science and engineering to engage in public discussion on related issues … and are careful consumers of scientific and technological information related to their everyday lives.” This article presents the results of a partnership that generated a new high school level curriculum and teacher professional development program that tackled the challenge of integrating hydrologic learning with computational thinking as applied to a real-world issue of flooding. CompHydro Baltimore produced Baltimore Floods, a six-lesson high school unit that builds students’ water literacy by engaging them in computational thinking (CT) and modeling practices as they learn about water system processes involved in urban flooding (See Computational Thinking and Associated Science Practices). CompHydro demonstrates that broad partnerships can address these challenges, bringing together the diverse expertise necessary to develop innovative CT-infused science curriculum materials and the teacher supports needed for successful implementation. 

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