Students in Appalachia have a heritage of problem-solving. We explore how computational thinking (CT) relates to and complements this heritage by analyzing 34 local ingenuity stories, and perspectives from 35 community members about the relevance of CT. We found the two problem-solving approaches are meaningfully different, but can be used in concert. Since equating them could contribute to confusion and cultural erasure, researchers and educators bringing CT as a problem solving strategy into rural and other resourceful cultures must clarify what they mean by “CT helps problem solving.” In these cultures, CT skills are better introduced as new tools to expand students’ problem-solving toolkits, rather than tools that are identical to or better than those traditionally used in their culture.
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What does computational thinking have to do with Appalachian ingenuity [Paper presentation]?
For many rural teachers and students, the notion of “computational thinking” sounds like a novelty and nice-to-have from far away cities, rather than an essential competency relevant to their local context. However, two Appalachian school districts, in a research practice partnership, have begun to look for connections between rural heritage stories and computational thinking, to help students grow as community problem solvers. The team has collected several local “ingenuity stories” and began to analyze what the local flavor of ingenuity is, and direct tie-ins to computational thinking. The stories have been inspiring, but it takes some thoughtful interviewing to identify the exact connections to computational thinking. Come hear about the first round of research findings, and think with us about ways to move forward so we can ground computing education in local rural contexts.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2219401
- PAR ID:
- 10544223
- Publisher / Repository:
- Digital Promise Resource Repository
- Date Published:
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- National Forum to Advance Rural Education (NFARE). Virtual.
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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