Culturally Responsive Computer Science and Social Studies Integration in Middle SchoolMSIK12
Efforts to provide all K-12 students in the United States with access to computer science (CS) education have increasingly focused on integration of CS into disciplinary contexts, especially math and science. More limited research examines what integration could look like in the arts and humanities, but social studies remains an underexplored content area for CS integration. We partnered with teachers in two Western states that had recently implemented CS standards and had a requirement that all K-12 students learn about the Indigenous inhabitants of the state to design two culturally responsive curricular units, a social studies unit integrating computational thinking and a computer science unit integrating social studies content. These units used the context of Indigenous food sovereignty to help students understand why treaties still matter for Indigenous peoples in the United States today. The designed units were reviewed by a panel of content experts and a panel of master teachers. We piloted the units with a social studies teacher and a CS teacher at a rural middle school. We interviewed both teachers and students after the implementation. Teacher and student feedback highlighted how engaging the CS integration was in social studies and how it supported deeper disciplinary engagement. At the same time, feedback emphasized the value of adding personal and cultural components to CS learning. Some implementation challenges, such as navigating the technologies employed in the units, were also reported. This paper reports on our curricular design work and feedback from a pilot implementation.
Sat 21 FebDisplayed time zone: Central Time (US & Canada) change
13:40 - 15:00 | Culturally Responsive Computing EducationPapers at Meeting Room 103-104 Chair(s): Nadim Saad Northeastern University | ||
13:40 20mTalk | Culturally Responsive Computer Science and Social Studies Integration in Middle SchoolMSIK12 Papers Mengying Jiang Utah State University, Kristin Searle Utah State University, Michaela Harper Utah State University | ||
14:00 20mTalk | For TAs, With TAs: A Responsive Pedagogy Co-Design Workshop Papers Ian Pruitt Georgia State University, Grace Barkhuff Georgia Institute of Technology, Vyshnavi Namani Georgia Institute of Technology, Ellen Zegura Georgia Institute of Technology, William Gregory Johnson Georgia State University, Rodrigo Borela pc, Benjamin Shapiro Georgia State University, Anu G. Bourgeois Georgia State University | ||
14:20 20mTalk | Sustaining K-8 Computer Science Instruction with Indigenous CommunitiesK12 Papers Kathryn M. Rich American Institutes for Research, Heather Cunningham Boot Up Professional Development, Joseph Wilson American Institutes for Research, Alberta Oldman Wyoming Indian Schools, Taralee Suppah Wyoming Indian Schools, Elena Singer Wyoming Indian Schools, Lara M. Lock Fort Washakie School, Amanda LeClair-Diaz Fort Washakie School, Claudette C'Bearing Arapahoe Schools, Wilfred J. Ferris III Arapahoe Schools, Veronica E. Miller Arapahoe Schools, Marissa Spang American Institutes for Research, Emily Kern Partner to Improve | ||
14:40 20mTalk | Why Some Students Still Opt Out of CS: Student Perspectives in a Culturally Responsive Program Papers Bridget Agyare University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Skyla Jin University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Diana Arreola Scripps College, Colleen M. Lewis University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | ||