Connect computational thinking to local maker and problem-solver heritage to teach it responsively to local culture¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The project's guiding hypothesis is that computational thinking should be taught not just as essential computing skills but in ways relating it to "the maker, tinkerer, innovator, problem-solver heritage that exists in Eastern KY." The presenters hypothesize that highlighting these connections will support students more holistically and powerfully, and might have positive ripple effects to parents and the broader community.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Knowledge of local culture and values
• Partnership with local schools, industry, and community organizations

Constraints¶

• The connection to heritage is stated as a hypothesis, not a tested finding

Target Learners¶

• K-8 students in Eastern Kentucky

Target Learning Goals¶

• Computational thinking
• Identity and connection to local Appalachian heritage

Affordances¶

• Civic Imagination Framework Rural Ct

Claims¶

Related Strategies¶

• Connect computer science learning to Appalachian ingenuity and community identity to move it from novelty to change
• Maker Spaces and Fab Labs
• Makerspaces
• Use peer-led, project-based professional development led by teachers in similar contexts
• Panel protocol: open with community cultural resources, then moderated discussion connecting community assets to computing education

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Drawing on Kinship: Rurally Sustaining Computational Thinking Pathways. (2022). Presentation, Learning Design Wiki extraction. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/