Teacher-Driven Development, Implementation, and Assessment of Integrated Computational Thinking in Grades 3-5

University Of Delaware, Newark DE

Investigators

Abstract

While several efforts to improve access to computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) competencies are currently underway at the middle and high school level, changes must now be made across the entire education system since it is during upper elementary grades that students make decisions related to future engagement with computing. This project is a partnership between the University of Delaware (UD) and the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) to build sustainable capacity towards the implementation of newly adopted CS standards in grades K-12, starting at the elementary level. Specifically, the partnership will focus on racially minoritized students, females, and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. By providing elementary school students with exposure to CS early on, the project seeks to increase the number and diversity of students selecting a CS course or CS-related pathway during middle and high-school. The partnership has four key goals: (a) adapt an already promising professional development (PD) program to help teachers in grades 3-5 build knowledge of CT content and pedagogy; (b) address issues of equity by focusing on culturally-responsive content and pedagogy as well as impacts of computing on local communities; (c) build capacity in teachers for the development and pilot testing of interdisciplinary CT-integrated literacy and math modules and associated classroom assessments for grades 3-5; and (d) establish a publicly accessible repository of culturally-responsive CT-integrated modules and associated resources to facilitate modest scale up in diverse contexts. The purposeful integration of CT into literacy and math using research-based practices will put elementary students on a trajectory that prepares them to use CT in middle school, high school, and beyond. Through these efforts, the project expects to reach 60 teachers who will, in turn, reach approximately 1,500 students. The curriculum development process, PD, materials, and assessment tools will be disseminated through a summit, workshops, publications, presentations, and a web-based searchable repository. This project is jointly funded by the Computer Science for All program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). The project will be conducted in the context of a networked improvement community (NIC) and will be grounded in design-based implementation research. Researchers and practitioners will work together to collaboratively design, pilot, and study PD and instructional approaches focusing on the implementation of the CS standards in grades 3-5. Further researchers will study (a) the impact of the adapted PD program on teacher learning; (b) the implementation of integrated CT in different contexts and with diverse learners, particularly those traditionally underrepresented in computing; (b) the impact of integrated CT on students' CT learning, attitudes, and interest towards CT; and (c) the opportunities and challenges associated with integrated CT across different contexts. Data will be collected through multiple sources and will be analyzed in ways that illuminate similarities and differences among various groups of students in order to ensure the promise of CS for All. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.