Learning in Culturally Sustaining Assessments of Computational Explorations

• In Event: Culturally Sustaining Approaches to Classroom Assessment

Abstract

Purpose: Culturally sustaining pedagogy maintains that justice and equity-focused education must honor and amplify young person’s ways of knowing, being, and doing in the world (Paris & Alim, 2017). Assessment culture operates within an “ideology of adult supremacy” (DeJong & Love, 2015, p. 490), where youth knowledge is measured against objectified ideals and “truths.” In this study, we examine what it looks like to design culturally sustaining assessments in STEM that are also learning opportunities and sustaining youth practices and knowledge.

Frameworks: This research design was informed by three theoretical frameworks: (a) culturally sustaining pedagogy (Paris & Alim, 2017), where the goal was to sustain youth knowledge and practice; acknowledge dynamic and changing practices, including language; and critically examine cultural practices. Additionally, the frameworks of critical consciousness (DuBois, 1965; Freire, 1974) and learning in and from assessments (Shute et al., 2009) were instrumental in this work.

Methods and Data Sources: This research sought to examine student knowledge and understandings regarding algorithmic thinking and processes. The study was conducted in an out-of-school multi-series workshop with existing youth organizations. Students engaged in the task of constructing and sharing a playlist in Spotify, a popular music streaming service, and later revisited these lists in order to “tag” songs with different attributes and characteristics. Data were collected through video recordings of Zoom sessions, fieldnotes from participating researchers, playlists and coding sheets from young persons, and interviews with youth. These data were analyzed using abductive analysis (Timmermans & Tavory, 2021) and interaction analysis (Jordan & Henderson, 1995). The three questions that guided this work were: (a) what would it look like to design assessments around what young people can do and know, (b) how can assessments build upon young people’s cultural assets and resources, and (c) can assessments engage youth in dialogue towards critical consciousness?

Findings: Our analysis revealed that young people engaged in reflections on how their processes of developing “tags” for playlist resembled, or not, the processes of streaming services, e.g., Pandora, Tidal, Apple Music. The playlist task afforded students opportunities to navigate a familiar practice within an algorithmic frame, while also acknowledging the challenges with computers as DJs. Additionally, when considering algorithmic thinking and design through a lens of critical consciousness, young persons began asking critical questions about the process for collecting personal data through Meta, what were Tidal’s criteria for promoting particular artists versus others, and what were the financial implications for Spotify marketing podcasts.

Significance of the Study: This study served as an opportunity to examine how we can design for spaces where young people already play as opportunities to learn within and from something that they already engage in. The findings of this work challenged the research team to reflect on the idea of construct relevance versus construct sustaining, where we question what the construct is and what is it that young people know how to do that supports their learning. We asked ourselves, what is the premise of pre and post, and what does it look like to collapse the spaces between activity and assessment?

Authors

• Christopher G. Wright, Drexel University

• Brian E. Gravel, Tufts University

• Eli Tucker-Raymond, Boston University

• Dionne N. Champion, University of Florida

• Ayana Allen-Handy, Drexel University

• Amon D. Millner, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering