Evolving Introductory Programming Activity Designs to Support Neurodiversity in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms (Poster 11)

• In Event: Design Principles for Creating Accessible and Inclusive Introductory Computing Experiences

Abstract

In order to make “CS for All” a reality, we must address the wide range of neurodiverse K-12 learners. This means designing differentiated teaching and learning materials to address the broad array of social, emotional, and cognitive assets in school classrooms (e.g. Immordino-Yang et al., 2018). Here, we share two iterations of design research aimed at translating design principles from learning and computer science (CS) education research to unplugged and programming activities for conceptual exploration among middle school students.

Our first iteration drew on research to scaffold novice learners’ guided inquiry (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000) and explore concepts in a context separate from programming before they employ them in programming. Our approaches to designing student-centered conceptually-focused constructivist activities emphasized knowledge construction through material engagement (Ackerman, 2001); motivated and promoted social transfer through connections between concepts and real-world examples (Engle et al., 2012); and leveraged findings that unplugged activities are useful in introducing computing concepts to students and CS teachers (e.g. Bell & Vahrenhold, 2018). The second iteration of activity designs additionally incorporated metacognitive reflection and Universal Design for Learning (UDL; Rose & Meyer, 2002; Israel & Lash, 2020) based on research that supporting executive function in learning activities creates a positive learning cycle for neurodiverse learners through better performance and increased motivation (Semenov & Zelazo, 2018).

We share evolving design features of an activity sequence that introduces the basics of conditionals and conditional expressions, including (1) an unplugged “Dice game” to engage in interpreting and creating their own relational and boolean expressions in a dice game) and (2) a Scratch programming activity. Surrounding activities also involved students creating conditional expressions representing everyday scenarios from their lives. In order to accommodate neurodiverse learners, multiple options were built into the activities (indicated with a “choice icon” for teachers) to give learners the opportunity to engage in the activities according to their preferences and strengths. For example, the Dice Game could be played online or offline, in pairs or solo, and at varying levels of complexity (of the conditional expressions). “I can” statements were added for conceptual reflection, as well as examples on how teachers could model a task for students. Similarly, in the Scratch activities we provide UDL-inspired multiple entry points for students to engage in coding—partial code for completion, or a buggy code to be fixed, or complete a Parson’s problem with jumbled code blocks (Parsons & Haden, 2006).


The first iteration involved mixed-methods research in three middle school classrooms in a large urban school district with diverse student populations (Authors, 2019). Although all classrooms showed significant gains on a pre-post assessment and scored significantly higher in end-of-course open-choice programming projects compared to a control population from the same district, classroom teachers expressed a need for supporting neurodiversity and differentiation prompting the second design-based research iteration. The newest activity versions are part of a broader intro CS curriculum implemented in 5 elementary (N=190) and 8 middle school (N=131) classrooms in winter/spring 2022. Data from the large scale implementation are currently being analyzed.

Authors

• Shuchi Grover, Looking Glass Ventures
  Presenting Author

• Tara L. Robillard, TERC
  Non-Presenting Author

• Erin Bardar
  Non-Presenting Author

• Teon Edwards, TERC
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jodi Asbell-Clarke, TERC
  Non-Presenting Author