Tokenistic or Genuine: Engaging Students as Co-Designers of a Curriculum Unit

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 11:25 am
  In Roundtable Session: Cultivating Computational and Scientific Thinking Through Research-Practice Partnerships, Cross-Cultural Adaptations, and Equity-Oriented Co-Design for Educators (Table 11)

Abstract

This study investigates genuine student participation in codesign partnerships within a research-practice partnership. While some studies have explored codesign participation to support teacher agency and pedagogic knowledge, limited efforts have been made to include students as key stakeholders in the codesign process. Engaging students as codesign partners foster ownership and active engagement. The study involved two teachers, three students, and three researchers in a 2-day collaborative design workshop to revise a high-school STEM integrated biology curriculum. Thematic analysis of session recordings, surveys, and interviews highlighted the importance of prioritizing student voices and trust-building within the teacher-student dynamic to facilitate genuine student participation. The findings contribute insights to enhance codesign partnerships and promote equitable and student-centered educational innovations.

Authors

• Tugce Aldemir, Texas A&M University

• Jooeun Shim, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Susan A. Yoon, University of Pennsylvania