Inclusive Computational Thinking in One Early Elementary Classroom

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Learning Sciences SIG Roundtable (Table 1)

Abstract

In this exploratory case study, we consider one teachers’ use of inclusive pedagogical practices combined with computational thinking to engage children with diverse needs in one elementary classroom. We use the framework for computational thinking integration offered by Digital Promise as a lens through which to look at computational thinking in one classroom. Specifically, we attended to the kinds of questions the teacher asked students to scaffold their activities and the ways those questions opened opportunities for computational thinking in the classroom. We found that, in some ways, the teacher’s pedagogical moves were inseparable from the computational thinking being promoted. Our paper provides examples of inclusive computational thinking and the scholarly significance of this work to the field.

Authors

• Chandra H. Orrill, Rethink Learning Labs

• Ezra Gouvea, Rethink Learning Labs

• Shakhnoza Kayumova, University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth

• Ramprasad Balasubramanian, University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth