Computer Science After School: Designing a Social Justice Curriculum for Latina/o Youth

• In Event: 60.084 - Roundtable Session 20
  In Roundtable Session: 60.084-19 - Justice Through Collaboration: Foregrounding Youth Voice and Experience in Out-of-School Time Settings

Abstract

Efforts to infuse academic content into classes outside of regular school hours, particularly those that require interdisciplinary collaborations, would benefit from detailed descriptions of how effective learning environments are designed in OST. In this paper we describe the process of designing, implementing, and revising an after school class that aims to increase Latino/a students’ interest in and capacity to pursue computing fields by highlighting the social relevance of computer science. We include the theoretical basis, empirical evidence, and local knowledge that informed each iteration of the curriculum and instructional approach. The program has been implemented with 223 5th grade students and 13 high school (near-peer) teachers so far.

Authors

• Jill Denner, Education, Training, and Research Associates

• Jacob Martinez, ETR Associates

• Ryan Morgan, ETR Associates

• Heather L. Thiry, University of Colorado - Boulder