Using Online Practice Spaces to Investigate Challenges in Enacting Principles of Equitable Computer Science Teaching

• In Event: 47.027 - CS for All: An Intersectional Approach to Unpacking Equity in Computer Science Education

Abstract

Significance, Perspectives and Purpose

Computing plays a central role in the future of our communities, workforce, and society (Blikstein 2018), yet critical challenges remain in progressing towards more equitable and inclusive visions of K12 CS education (Margolis et al. 2015).  And while many broader structures and policies influence K12 CS education, the "last mile" of CS for All is whether teachers can enact principles of equitable teaching in the classroom.

Among the many important principles of equitable teaching, our work focuses on positioning students with an asset framing, disrupting preparatory privilege and honoring intersectional identities (Milner 2010; Margolis et al. 2008). Previous work has shown that pedagogies of enactment like clinical simulation and role-playing hold great promise for teacher learning related to equity. Dotger and Ashby (2010) described “conditional inclusive ideologies" where teachers speak and write fluently about equity, yet struggle to enact equity during a simulation with mild social pressure. Self (2016) applied this approach to developing racial awareness, creating moments in simulation where teachers are "pulled up short" before guided reflection and facilitated discussion. Ball (2018) highlighted how focusing on “discretionary moments” can connect tangible teaching decisions with larger issues of equity and bias.

In this poster, we share research done in collaboration with CS teacher preparation programs, seeking to answer: What kinds of teaching decisions do teachers make when given opportunities to enact principles of equitable teaching within online practice spaces? and What kinds of beliefs or biases interfere with teachers enacting principles of equitable teaching?

Methods, Data and Results

Our approach centers on creating practice spaces embedded across a wide range of blended settings for K12 CS teacher learning. Practice spaces are learning environments, inspired by games and simulations, that allow teachers to rehearse for and reflect on important decisions in teaching outside of the classroom (Reich et al., 2018). One example of this is Teacher Moments, a mobile web app that immerses educators in short vignettes of classroom life, and then calls upon participants to react to complex situations with improvisational spoken or typed responses (Thompson et al. 2018). This allows teacher educators to create a shared experience for group reflection and discussion, and creates opportunities for co-creating new practice spaces that focus on the discretionary moments that are most important to particular communities of teacher educators, teachers, and young people themselves.

Our approach creates rich evidence for purposes of both formative assessment and research analysis, including: data recorded within the practice spaces during teacher reflections and responses, observations during small group and whole group discussions, posters and visuals that teachers created during sessions, and written responses to survey questions.

In this poster, we discuss early findings from six fields tests with particular classroom scenarios (n=45 participants).  Results describe the ways teachers enact principles of equitable teaching, and how teacher beliefs around colorblindness, meritocracy, and individual accountability may interfere.  Finally, we discuss themes around facilitating learning with equity practice spaces, and challenges in creating inclusive learning environments for all CS teachers (Robinson et al. 2018).

Authors

• Kevin Robinson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Justin Fire Reich, Massachusetts Institute of Technology