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Indigenous communities remain among the most underrepresented groups in computing and STEM fields, facing systemic barriers to equitable participation in computer science (CS) education. This study examines how Indigenous-serving teachers, through a sustained professional development (PD) program, design and implement culturally responsive computing (CRC) curricula in Indigenous-serving schools. Guided by the research question: How does sustained CS professional development inform the design of culturally responsive computing curricula by experienced CS teachers in Indigenous-serving schools? We employed a natural language processing (NLP) data fusion approach that integrates text mining and qualitative thematic analysis to investigate how teachers incorporate Indigenous knowledge into computing instruction. Our findings reveal three emergent themes in teacher learning and lesson design: Creating opportunities to access culture through computation, Leveraging Research and Critical Thinking Skills to Critically Engage Students with Computing, and Reflection, refinement, and professional growth through ongoing collaboration. These themes underscore the impact of CRC on bridging cultural traditions with computing, fostering engagement, and enhancing Indigenous students’ sense of belonging in CS. By supporting teachers in developing culturally relevant lessons that integrate storytelling, traditional arts, and computational thinking, this research contributes to the broader discourse on inclusive CS education. This study informs future efforts to expand Indigenous student participation in computing by highlighting the role of culturally sustaining pedagogy in professional development and curriculum design.
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Elementary Teachers Designing Culturally Grounded Cases for Preservice Teachers: A Process for Reciprocal Learning
Connecting university methods courses and teacher daily practice is a persistent challenge in teacher education. Another challenge is preparing teachers to enact equitable instruction that meets the needs of an increasingly diverse student population. We take on these challenges by supporting practicing elementary teachers to design case-based teaching scenarios for preservice teachers that engage them with enacting culturally grounded mathematics and science instruction. We draw on data from workshops with teachers to illustrate how the design process elevates teachers’ voices while also supporting their own learning. Workshop features that proved powerful for teachers included collaborating with colleagues, offering and receiving peer feedback, and working with a table describing key features of culturally grounded pedagogy in mathematics and science.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2142136
- PAR ID:
- 10558325
- Publisher / Repository:
- National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Mathematics Teacher Educator
- Volume:
- 12
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 2167-9789
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 195 to 210
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.5951/MTE.2023-0058
