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This paper reports findings from the efforts of a university-based research team as they worked with middle school educators within formal school structures to infuse computer science principles and computational thinking practices. Despite the need to integrate these skills within regular classroom practices to allow all students the opportunity to learn these essential 21st Century skills, prior practice has been to offer these learning experiences outside of mainstream curricula where only a subset of students has access. We have sought to leverage elements of the research-practice partnership framework to achieve our project objectives of integrating computer science and computational thinking within middle science classrooms. Utilizing a qualitative approach to inquiry, we present narratives from three case schools, report on themes across work sites, and share recommendations to guide other practitioners and researchers who are looking to engage in technology-related initiatives to impact the lives of middle grades students.
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Finding the Low Tech, High Impact Solution to Computational Thinking Instruction
Key ideas: Computational thinking and computer science can be taught to students in primary grades using low tech tools. Teacher leaders from rural Appalachia conducted a professional development training that supported other educators in their community. Learning computational thinking and computer science in the primary grades is important for setting a foundation that can be built upon throughout middle and high school.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2219401
- PAR ID:
- 10465541
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Digital Promise Blog https://digitalpromise.org/2023/08/22/finding-the-low-tech-high-impact-solution-to-computational-thinking-instruction/
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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This article provides an overview of the work pioneered by the consortium of collaborators in the Billion Oyster Curriculum and Community Enterprise for Restoration Science Project (BOP-CCERS). The BOP-CCERS are working to support computational thinking in the New York City public school classrooms by creating curriculum which combines:1. The Field Station Research (Oyster Restoration Stations) and data collection2. The Billion Oyster Project Digital Platform and data input and storage 3. The New York State Science Intermediate Level Learning Standards. 4. The Computer Science Teachers Association K-12 Computer Science StandardsThe integration of computational thinking in the STEM middle school classroom is showcased through the intertwining of these dimensions into a trans-disciplinary learning experience that is rich in both content and practice. Students will be able to explain real-world phenomena found in their own community and design possible solutions through the key components of computational thinking.The Curriculum and Community Enterprise for Restoration Science Project digital platform and curriculum will be the resources that provide the underpinnings of the integration of computational thinking in the STEM middle school classroom. The primary functions of the platform include the collection and housing of the data pertaining to the harbor and its component parts, both abiotic and biotic and the storage of the curriculum for both the classroom and the field stations.more » « less
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Ethnocomputing describes the study of computational ideas and thinking as they appear in the artifacts, epistemologies, designs, and practices of temporally and spatially situated communities (e.g., from computational scientists to textile artisans). It is also about how such communities embed their beliefs and values within computational artifacts. One outcome of ethnocomputing research is the demonstration of how Indigenous and diasporic communities have dynamic computational histories and innovations that are relevant to computer science and computer science education today. From lessons on e-textiles and Native American botanical knowledge to visual programming environments that reveal the algorithms of cornrow braiding in the Black diaspora, this has allowed for anti-racist challenges to white supremacist myths of primitivism in primary and secondary computer science education. While there are studies about how ethnocomputing tools and lessons shape children’s attitudes toward and knowledge of computing, there is no research on what computer science teachers think about one of ethnocomputing’s foundational assumptions: computational ideas and thinking are embedded within Indigenous and vernacular artifacts, epistemologies, designs, and practices. This paper reports findings from interviews with 14 K12 computer science teachers who had been exposed to ethnocomputing educational technologies and activities. From our qualitative analyses, we found that most (n=12) teachers believed that Indigenous and/or vernacular artisans think computationally. We detail their lines of reasoning before turning toward teachers who had ambivalent (n=1) or negative (n=1) positions about this assumption of ethnocomputing research. We discuss the implications of these findings for anti-racist K12 computer science teacher professional development.more » « less
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ABSTRACT BackgroundIn recent years, computer science education has emerged as a necessary part of school curricula for students of all ages. With such momentum in this direction, it is essential that program designers, educators, and researchers ensure that computer science education is designed to be inclusive, effective, and engaging for all students. ObjectiveAccordingly, this paper reports on the design and implementation of an inclusive digital learning platform and accompanying curriculum for scaffolding and integrating coding into writing instruction for elementary‐aged students (approximately ages 9–12). In this paper, we report on teachers' uses of the Compose and Code (CoCo) platform and curriculum, how students used its features, and its influence on students' computational thinking skills and attitudes about coding. MethodData analysed in this mixed‐methods study come from 11 teachers and 595 students in Grades 3–6. Data sources included teacher reflections and interviews, an assessment of computational thinking for students, and a coding attitudes survey for students. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively and using paired samplet‐tests. Qualitative data were analysed inductively using open coding to determine emergent categories. Results and ConclusionFindings indicate that (1) a majority of students effectively used the CoCo platform to plan their work and code in Scratch, with a smaller percentage using the self‐evaluation and self‐monitoring features, (2) teachers indicated overall positive perceptions of the CoCo platform and curriculum, with strong support for using it in the future, (3) students' computational thinking skills improved over the course of the project, with results indicating a large effect size (g = 1.24), and (4) student attitudinal results were mixed, providing insights to the barriers that students face when learning to code. Overall, this study indicates that the CoCo platform and curriculum show promise as a scaffolded, structured, and integrated tool for teaching elementary computer science to elementary grade students.more » « less
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