When Good Gets Better: Experienced Computer Science Teachers? Reflections on implementing E-textiles in their Classrooms as a Vehicle for Advancing Equity
Deborah Ann Fields, Yasmin B. Kafai, Yanil De La Rosa-Walcott · 2023
Most studies in maker education foreground gaps in teachers’ content knowledge or challenges teachers face in implementing maker activities. In this paper, we seek to contribute to a better understanding of what teachers (grades 9-12) see as the benefits of introducing maker activities, especially in regard to equity. We focused on eight experienced computer science (CS) teachers implementing an e-textile unit in their classrooms in which their students stitched circuits with conductive thread and programmed sensors and actuators. Hour-long interviews conducted post implementation focused on: What do expert CS facilitator-teachers see as the affordances of e-textiles for 1) issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion, and 2) their own professional growth and personal experience? In the discussion we consider implications not just for maker education in classrooms but also in creating a fulfilling professional experience for teachers.