Designing for Student-Directedness: How K–12 Teachers Utilize Peers to Support Projects

2022 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Karen Brennan ◽  
Sarah Blum-Smith ◽  
Laura Peters ◽  
Jane Kang
Keyword(s):  
Computer Science ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Design Principle ◽  
Personal Interest ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Science Classrooms ◽  
Promising Practice ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Modes Of Interaction

Student-directed projects—projects in which students have individual control over what they create and how to create it—are a promising practice for supporting the development of conceptual understanding and personal interest in K–12 computer science classrooms. In this article, we explore a central (and perhaps counterintuitive) design principle identified by a group of K–12 computer science teachers who support student-directed projects in their classrooms: in order for students to develop their own ideas and determine how to pursue them, students must have opportunities to engage with other students’ work. In this qualitative study, we investigated the instructional practices of 25 K–12 teachers using a series of in-depth, semi-structured interviews to develop understandings of how they used peer work to support student-directed projects in their classrooms. Teachers described supporting their students in navigating three stages of project development: generating ideas, pursuing ideas, and presenting ideas. For each of these three stages, teachers considered multiple factors to encourage engagement with peer work in their classrooms, including the quality and completeness of shared work and the modes of interaction with the work. We discuss how this pedagogical approach offers students new relationships to their own learning, to their peers, and to their teachers and communicates important messages to students about their own competence and agency, potentially contributing to aims within computer science for broadening participation.

Four principles for assessing student-directed projects

2021 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 44-48
Author(s):  
Karen Brennan ◽  
Sarah Blum-Smith ◽  
Paulina Haduong
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Powerful Learning ◽  
K 12

Student-directed projects are a promising approach to supporting powerful learning, yet uncertainty about how to assess these projects presents a barrier to widespread incorporation in K-12 classrooms. Drawing on interviews with computer science teachers and an interdisciplinary literature review, Karen Brennan, Sarah Blum-Smith, and Paulina Haduong offer four principles to guide assessment of student-directed projects: recognizing the individuality of the learner, illuminating process, engaging multiple perspectives, and cultivating capacity for personal judgment. They describe the research behind these principles and provide and example of what they look like in practice.

A Research Agenda for Computational Thinking

2018 ◽  
pp. 65-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Betul C. Czerkawski
Keyword(s):  
Computer Science ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Needs ◽  
Discussion Section ◽  
Computer Scientists ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Science Departments

It has been more than a decade since Jeanette Wing's (2006) influential article about computational thinking (CT) proposed CT to be a “fundamental skill for everyone” (p. 33) and that needs to be added to every child's knowledge and skill set like reading, writing and arithmetic. Wing suggested that CT is a universal skill, and not only for computer scientists. This call resonated with many educators leading to various initiatives by the International Society for Teacher in Education (ISTE) and Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) provided the groundwork to integrate CT into the K-12 curriculum. While CT is not a new concept and has been taught in computer science departments for decades, Wing's call created a shift towards educational computing and the need for integrating it into curriculum for all. Since 2006, many scholars have conducted empirical or qualitative research to study the what, how and why of CT. This chapter reviews the most current literature and identifies general research patterns, themes and directions for the future. The purpose of the chapter is to emphasize future research needs by cumulatively looking at what has been done to date in computational thinking research. Consequently, the conclusion and discussion section of the paper presents a research agenda for future.

scholarly journals Computational Thinking Integration Strategy for the Urban Middle School Classroom

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Birney ◽  
Denise McNamara
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
New York ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
Field Station ◽  
Science Project ◽  
Digital Platform ◽  
School Classroom ◽  
K 12

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.

A cross-cultural comparison of concepts in computer science education

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 235-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Zendler ◽  
O. William McClung ◽  
Dieter Klaudt
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Computer Science Education ◽  
Science Curriculum ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
K 12

Purpose – The development of a K-12 computer science curriculum based on constructivist principles needs to be informed by knowledge of content and process concepts that are central to the discipline of computer science. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach – Taking a cross-cultural approach and using an experimental design (a SPF-2•15×16 split-plot design), this study compares the combinations of content and process concepts identified as important in Germany with those considered relevant in the US context. Findings – First, the combinations of content and process concepts identified in the German context can be generalized to the US context. Second, it is possible to identify combinations of content and process concepts in the US context that are also important in the German context. Third, content and process concepts identified in the two contexts can be integrated to generate a broader perspective that is valid for both contexts. Practical implications – The results can be used for consolidating available curricular drafts for computer science as a teaching subject at school of the type available in many. The present findings are of great relevance for research-based approaches to the pre- and in-service education of computer science teachers. The methodological approach taken is important in efforts to consolidate curricular models of computer science education, as have been initiated by the Bologna process in Europe and by the organizations Association for Computing Machinery, Association for Information Systems, and Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers-Computer Society in the USA. Originality/value – Results show that competence areas of central concepts identified in the two contexts can be integrated to generate a broader perspective that is valid for both contexts.

scholarly journals Mapping K-12 Computer Science Teacher’s Interest, Self-Confidence, and Knowledge about the Use of Educational Robotics to Teach

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 443
Author(s):  
Nuno Dorotea ◽  
João Piedade ◽  
Ana Pedro
Keyword(s):  
Computer Science ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Educational Robotics ◽  
Online Application ◽  
Classroom Activities ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Teacher's Knowledge

This paper reports a case study, developed in K-12 Portuguese Education, that aimed to analyze the computer science teachers’ knowledge, interest, and self-confidence to use educational robotics and other programable objects in classroom activities to teach computer science concepts and to promote students’ computational thinking skills. The research design was organized into a descriptive and exploratory quantitative approach. The participants were 174 in-service computer science teachers of Portuguese public education. The data was gathered from the participants, through the online application of the Robotics Interest Questionnaire scale (RIQ). Very positive levels of teacher’s knowledge, interest, and self-efficacy to use educational robotics for teaching purposes were reported in the study outcomes. These constructs were underlined in several studies as relevant factors to promote the use of educational robotics and other similar technologies by the teachers. Despite the study limitations and the small context, a set of relevant results was highlighted on computer science in-service teachers’ interest and preparation to use robotics and to support their students in learning activities with these artifacts.

How Should Learning through STEM and Music Be Aligned?

2021 ◽  
pp. 16-27
Author(s):  
Shawna Longo
Keyword(s):  
Computer Science ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Technology In Education ◽  
Science Standards ◽  
Education Standards ◽  
Mathematics Standards ◽  
Engineering Standards ◽  
Science Framework ◽  
K 12

This chapter begins by providing a few “Pool Rules” before jumping into aligning STEM and Music. The importance of quality and authenticity in the learning experience is paramount, and this part of the book seeks to help the reader achieve both. The chapter then explores multiple sides of STEM and Music to provide guidance on using and assessing high-quality educational standards currently available to the greater educational community. Each set of standards explained provides another way that educators may find direct connections between content areas. These standards include the Next Generation Science Standards, International Society for Technology in Education Standards, Computer Science Teachers Association & K–12 Computer Science Framework, Common Core Mathematics Standards for Practice, Engineering Standards, and National Core Arts Standards.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document