Supporting Computer Science Teachers to Customize Culturally Relevant Instructional Materials: Challenges and Iteratively Designed Solutions

• In Event: Equity, Inclusion, and Ethics in Engineering and Computing Education

Abstract

Culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) is being increasingly included in district-wide learning goals. Here, we report our analysis of the initial challenges teachers faced when integrating CRP into a middle school computer science (CS) curriculum. Qualitative analysis of participatory design sessions with teachers experienced with the curriculum identified two primary challenges; (1) getting to know their students within the often challenging context of teaching CS to multiple grades and hundreds of students and (2) brainstorming CRP themes within the technical and pedagogical constraints of the original lesson materials. We present our iteratively designed solutions to these challenges. We feel this work will be of interest to CS teacher educators, teachers, and researchers working to deliver culturally relevant curriculum into CS classrooms.

Authors

• Heather Killen, University at Buffalo - SUNY

• Minh Tran, University of Chicago

• Jen Palmer, University of Chicago

• Diana Franklin, University of Chicago

• David Weintrop, University of Maryland