Using Cultural Responsiveness to Elicit Computational Thinking in Maker Environments
Roxana Hadad, C. Meghan Hausman Jacobson, Kate Thomas, Germania Solórzano, Mila Kachovska, Yue Yin · 2018
Work in culturally responsive pedagogy and culturally responsive computing (CRC)(Scott, et al., 2014) holds promise for how to include underrepresented students into making communities as they develop their computational thinking (CT) skills. Cultural responsiveness involves instructors using what they know about students' individual identities to develop learning opportunities; having high expectations; and understanding students' sociopolitical contexts (Ladson-Billings, 1995). By integrating these approaches, students encounter a makerspace without pre-determined cultural norms that encourages questioning assumptions that limit the development of inclusive technology. This poster explores preliminary results from a mixed methods multiple case study. Sixteen high school students participated in a two-week summer making program that focused on CT and physics skills. Students shared elements of their identities, brought in artifacts for "show and tell", collected data on how they spend their time, and categorized assets in their communities to then incorporate into their own projects. Researchers analyzed classroom observations, videos, interviews, and student notebooks, as well as students' pre-post tests and attitudinal surveys. Findings reflect the importance of valuing student identity, building community, and highlighting how CT and physics affect students' lives. More information: https://actmaproject.wordpress.com/ Keywords: computational thinking, cultural responsiveness, makerspaces. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3159450.3162291