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Computational thinking CT is central to computer science, yet there is a gap in the literature on the best ways to implement CT in early childhood classrooms. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how early childhood teachers enacted asset-based pedagogies while implementing CT in their classrooms. We followed a group of 28 early childhood educators who began with a summer institute and then participated in multiple professional learning activities over one year. Examining a subset of the larger group, findings illustrate how teachers intentionally created learning communities that empowered students and utilized their expertise to guide CT learning in their classrooms. Teachers recognized that asset-based approaches to CT instruction empowered not just their students but also themselves. By using asset-based CT pedagogies, early childhood teachers can better support students from marginalized communities, reducing achievement gaps and inequities in digital learning.
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Teachers’ Use of Resources for Equitable Integration of Computation in Science Classrooms
While computation is a crucial aspect of modern science, students rarely have opportunities to engage in such work. In this study, we designed a series of professional learning opportunities for 12 physics teachers to support their enactment of equitable computational pedagogies. We asked how and why teachers utilized two primary resources of the PLS when making decisions about computational pedagogies. We analyzed multiple data sources using lenses from a situative learning perspective to examine teachers’ critical pedagogical discourses. We discuss how teachers’ critical discourses shaped the way the resources were utilized when designing computational learning opportunities for their students and the implications for future equity-oriented computational professional learning opportunities for teachers.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1741575
- PAR ID:
- 10439270
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- International Society of the Learning Proceedings of the 16th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - ICLS 2022
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 905-008
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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