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TIPP&SEE: Supporting Struggling Learners in Elementary Computer Science Instruction

Tue, April 21, 8:15 to 9:45am, Virtual Room

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
Open-ended, creative, student-directed projects are a common pedagogical approach for teaching CS to young learners. However, studies show that learning outcomes are correlated strongly with overall school academic performance (Salac et al, 2019), leaving some students behind. TIPP&SEE is a learning strategy that scaffolds learning by example. We investigate teachers’ use of this new learning strategy.

FRAMEWORK/PERSPECTIVE
Constructionism motivates self-directed student learning by creating artifacts for public consumption (Ackermann, 2001). However, some students may not understand the code in their artifacts (Salac, 2019). Students learn more in structured approaches (Lee & Ko, 2015), but too much structure may negatively affect some (especially female) students (Webb, Repenning, Koh, 2012). Use->Modify->Create (Lee et al, 2011) seeks a balance between structure and open-ended projects. Because of a heavy reliance on reading and code structure, we were inspired by meta-cognitive reading comprehension strategies to create a learning strategy, especially previewing (which focuses student attention and activates prior knowledge) (Klingner, Vaughn, 1998; Manz, 2002) and text structure approaches (which help students navigate the organization of a text) (Gersten et. al., 2001;Williams, 2005).

METHODS & DATA
We investigate the use of TIPP&SEE, guided by a worksheet, a learning strategy for Scratch projects. Students preview the code by reading the Title, Instructions, and Purpose. They then Play the project, observing closely. In Scratch, students find the code by clicking on a Sprite (2-d image that the code controls) and finding the Event (what the user did to cause actions to occur). Finally, they Explore deliberately, making code changes and observing effects in program execution.

TIPP&SEE was integrated into two curricula - a 4th grade introductory curriculum and 5th-7th grade intermediate curriculum. 15 4th grade classrooms (half control, half using TIPP&SEE) and 12 5th-7th grade teachers participated. Assessments, observations, and teacher interviews were used for this study.

RESULTS
Classrooms using TIPP&SEE went more smoothly and had higher learning outcomes. Observers and teachers felt that students learned more in TIPP&SEE classrooms due to the reduced chaos and explicit instruction on how to learn from example code. Assessments showed that 4th grade students in the TIPP&SEE classrooms had statistically-significant better performance for 16/20 assessment questions on how Scratch code works. Multiple teachers found TIPP&SEE to be an effective routine for the students, observing a module with a different worksheet to go much less smoothly, breaking the routine. One teacher had students check in following completion of the worksheet, verifying their knowledge before giving them the modify task. Future work will examine correlations between teachers’ use of TIPP&SEE and student performance.

SIGNIFICANCE
TIPP&SEE, providing scaffolding so that all students can follow the meta-cognitive activities that strategic learners would use, is effective even beyond its initial design. It provides a roadmap to students for how to learn from example code, which leads to learning gains in 4th grade students and provides routine and checkpoints for 4th-7th grade students.

Authors