Teaching assistants (TAs) play an increasingly vital role in computer science (CS) education, particularly amid rising enrollments, expanding instructional modalities, and the emergence of generative AI tools. In this evolving landscape, CS TAs are taking on greater responsibilities and often serve as the primary point of personal interaction for students, particularly through recitations, lab sessions, and office hours. However, many CS TAs receive limited preparation in inclusive and responsive teaching practices, limiting their ability to effectively support students from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds. To address this gap, we developed a series of responsive pedagogy workshops at two diverse institutions. These workshops aimed to deepen CS TAs’ understanding of inclusive and responsive teaching strategies, support their implementation in practice, and create space for co-design by positioning TAs not only as learners, but as partners in imagining how responsive pedagogy principles could be more effectively integrated into the courses and contexts in which they teach. In this experience report, we describe the design and implementation of these workshops with 118 TA participants, share workshop materials for broader adoption, and reflect on key findings related to integrating responsive pedagogy into CS education through TA training.
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 | ||