Developing a Framework for Accessible Computational Thinking in Elementary Science: A Participatory Approach

• In Event: Strategies for Broadening Teachers’ Views of Early-Grade Learners’ Competencies Through Computational Thinking

Abstract

Objectives
To prepare students for an increasingly computational society, there have been calls to integrate computational thinking (CT) into the K–5 classroom. To address the opportunity gap, integrating CT into science is a strategic approach to ensuring every student has access to CT during the school day. There is a critical need to attend to inclusive approaches to science instruction. This integration, through a culturally responsive teaching (CRT) lens, can expand students’ interests and proficiency in computing. This process paper outlines the conceptualization and implementation of the ACT Framework, which situates elementary science education with a CT- and CRT-infused approach.

Perspective(s)
We situate our vision for equitable access to CT within the Capacity for, Access to, Participation in, and Experiences of Computing (CAPE) Framework (Fletcher & Warner, 2020; Figure 1). For students to participate in accessible CT, our research builds teachers’ capacity to integrate CT into science. CRT invites teachers to validate the cultural experiences of students and situate their academic learning within the context of lived experiences (Gay, 2002, 2018). Integrating CRT is important for ensuring that all students can access CT in science. We believe CRT in CT-infused science is about both the instructional strategies employed and transforming the curriculum (Gay, 2002, 2018).

Methods and Data
We pose the following questions: (1) How can we develop a research-based conceptual framework to support teachers to integrate CT and CRT into science teaching? and (2) How can we use the ACT Framework to create CT- and CRT-aligned science professional development experiences for teachers?
Our team engaged in a consensus-making process based on a modified e-Delphi (Fletcher & Marchildon, 2014) consensus protocol method to arrive at a research-based, collective conceptualization of the relationship among science teaching, CT, and CRT. Through the exploration phase, we collected data that consisted of 12 individual conceptualizations of CT-CRT-science. During the convergence phase, we grouped the models into three abstractions of CT/CRT/science. During the consensus phase we identified the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of each model and finalized the ACT Framework. We continued by detailing the CT (Ketelhut et al., 2019; Weintrop et al., 2016) and CRT components (Ladson-Billings, 2021).

Results
The analysis of 12 researcher conceptualizations of CT-CRT-science revealed a set of themes that speak to the translation of CRT and CT into elementary science: (1) attending to equity by ensuring multiple pathways to arrive at integration of CT-CRT-science and (2) portraying the CT/CRT/science integration journey with a cyclical approach that accounts for teachers’ diverse epistemological approaches and their engagement as reflective practitioners whose growth and change occurs through cycles of enactment and reflection (Clarke & Hollingsworth).

Scholarly significance
As research teams undertake the critical work of dismantling systems that perpetuate injustice, participatory approaches that elevate individual perspectives as they develop frameworks is nonnegotiable. Constructing opportunities for, access to, and participation in experiences that are welcoming to all means that we nurture and model positive interdependence in our work.

Author

• Janice Mak, Arizona State University