An official website of the United States government
Research suggests that introducing students to computational concepts at a young age improves the likelihood that they will become interested in computer science later on in life (Super, 1953). As such, it is becoming increasingly important to develop lessons for K-12 students that include computational thinking (Barr, 2011). The storytelling project at Montana State University integrates computational thinking skills into the Indian Education for All (IEFA) curriculum for middle school students in Montana. 1. Identify an object not in Alice and needed for a lesson. 2. Develop rough draft and provide to the model developer. 3. Develop model in 3Ds max. 4. Add model to world, and add methods as needed. References Plateau Indian Beaded Bags 5. Gather feedback from students and instructors. Barr, V., & Stephenson, C. (2011). Bringing computational thinking to K-12: what is Involved and what is the role of the computer science education community? Acm Inroads, 2(1), 48-54. Cooper, J. (n.d.). Plateau beaded bag, ca. 1930 [Photograph found in Fred Mitchell, Montana Historical Society, Helena]. Retrieved from http://mhs.mt.gov/ Portals/11/education/ABeautifulTradition/tradition%20design%20color% 20brochure.pdf Super, D. E. (1953). A theory of vocational development. American Psychologist, 8(5), 185-190. We work to develop lesson plans, plan outreach events, and find relevant literature to satisfy the content standard requirements as well as the essential understandings associated with IEFA. Furthermore, we strive to integrate basic computer science concepts into these lessons to help pique student interest in programming and computational thinking. This is done using the Alice software, a drag-and-drop programming environment that allows students to use computational thinking in a beginner-friendly interface to create animations.
more »
« less
Integrating Computer Science into Middle School Curricula Through Storytelling: A Lesson Plan on Beaded Bags of the Columbia Plateau
We aim to bring computer science (CS) to rural and American Indian students by blending American Indian storytelling practices with the educational computer programming environment called Alice. The lessons we develop cover CS concepts within the framework of the Content Standards of our state, and the Essential Understandings of American Indians. In this paper, we describe the Plateau Indian Beaded Bags lesson plan, its implementation, and the results of a lesson pilot. In the Plateau Indian Beaded Bags lesson, students learn about the beadwork of Columbia River Plateau-centered tribes. After viewing a picture of a beaded bag with a scene depicting a man on a horse in front of a woman with a tipi in the background, students are asked to construct a story based on this image. They then translate their story into code to create an animation of the story in Alice. Through this hands-on experience, students engage in algorithmic problem solving while using their imagination and creativity, increasing their exposure to, and interest in, CS.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1657553
- PAR ID:
- 10562516
- Publisher / Repository:
- ACM
- Date Published:
- ISBN:
- 9798400700484
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 50 to 56
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- CS Education American Indian Communities Rural Communities Cultural Responsivenes K–12 Alice Lesson Plan Development
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- Hyderabad India
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Learning computer science (CS) is important for careers of tomorrow. Informal CS opportunities, however, are often limited by a student's socioeconomic disposition, location, ethnicity, gender, and ability. In Montana, these limitations are exemplified in rural communities where a dedicated CS teacher is not available. In order to make informal CS opportunities more equitable, we developed culturally responsive outreach modules for students across Montana by using storytelling as a basis of inquiry. In this paper, we present an outreach module based on the Skokomish story of `How Daylight Came to Be.' In this story, the two main characters---Ant and Bear---each dance for Dokweebah (the Changer). Students animate these dances using event-driven programming in the drag-and-drop programming environment Alice. While creating their dances, students construct knowledge of targeted CS concepts and make design decisions based on the context of the story. This outreach module reframes the context and activity of computing in an effort to transform the way in which students see themselves as potential future computer scientists, and democratize computing as a means of telling stories. By using Brayboy's Tribal Critical Race Theory as a theoretical framework for the development of the outreach program, we introduce computing from a lens of American Indian ways of knowing, culture, and power. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this unit in this exploratory study, we describe students' responses to the outreach programs in terms of perceptions of CS and perceptions of Alice as a culturally relevant programming tool.more » « less
-
In July 2021, Computer Science (CS) standards were officially added as a subject area within the K-12 Montana content standards. However, due to a lack of professional development and pre-service preparation in CS, schools and teachers in Montana are underprepared to implement these standards. Montana is also a unique state, since American Indian education is mandated by the state constitution in what is known as the Indian Education for All Act. We are developing elementary and middle school units and teacher training materials that simultaneously address CS, Indian Education, and other Montana content standards. In this paper, we present a unit for fourth through sixth grades using a participatory design approach. Through physical computing, students create a visual narrative of their own stories inspired by ledger art, an American Indian art medium for recording lived experiences. We discuss the affordances and challenges of an integrated approach to CS teaching and learning in elementary and middle schools in Montana.more » « less
-
In July 2021, Computer Science (CS) standards were officially added as a subject area within the K-12 Montana content standards. However, due to a lack of professional development and pre-service preparation in CS, schools and teachers in Montana are underprepared to implement these standards. Montana is also a unique state, since AmericanIndian education is mandated by the state constitution in what is known as the IndianEducation for All Act. We are developing elementary and middle school units and teacher training materials that simultaneously address CS, Indian Education, and other Montana content standards. In this paper, we present a unit for fourth through sixth grades using a participatory design approach. Through physical computing, students create a visual narrative of their own stories inspired by ledger art, an American Indian art medium for recording lived experiences. We discuss the affordances and challenges of an integrated approach to CS teaching and learning in elementary and middle schools in Montana.more » « less
-
To broaden indigenous students' participation in Computer Science (CS) education, we conducted a research practitioner partnership (RPP) project, where teachers were taught the CS principles lessons offered by Code.org and asked to integrate mobile application development within their current courses. Additionally, modules and guidance were provided on culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP), and an in-classroom implementation of a five-day lesson plan was co-created via a participatory approach. In this experience report, we describe the RPP organization and early findings from our collected teachers' pre/post survey, lesson plans, projects, and students' pre/post survey. The positive outcomes from our RPP project provided valuable teacher learning experiences and actionable, culturally responsive computing lesson plans for the indigenous community.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Paper:
- https://doi.org/10.1145/3576882.3617913
