Bringing Computational Thinking into Elementary Classrooms through a Robotics-enhanced Mathematics Curriculum (Poster 1)

• In Event: Integrating Computational Thinking in K-12: Strategies for Elementary Education and Teacher Development

Abstract

Objectives: Computational Thinking (CT) is an essential skill for young students to develop. However, many challenges exist to bringing high-quality CT into elementary classrooms, including a lack of curricular and computational materials, finding time in an already full school schedule, and needing to prepare teachers to teach new and novel ideas and technologies. This work presents a curriculum called [Blinded Curriculum] that was co-designed with district partners that integrated CT into third-grade math by leveraging resources already present in the district.
Background: While it has a long history, dating back to the early work of Papert on the use of computers and tools for learning (e.g., Papert, 1972), the last decade has seen a rapid growth in efforts to use computational tools as contexts to learning foundational CT concepts (Shute et al., 2017; Weintrop et al., 2016; Yadav et al, 2017). This work explores approaches to use CT in mutually supportive ways, using CT as a mechanism to explore math (e.g., Noss & Hoyles, 1996; Roschelle, et al., 2000) while mathematics can serve as a productive context for situating CT (e.g., Calao et al. , 2015; Israel & Lash, 2019). Further, this work draws on the use of robotics as a means to situate mathematical ideas and employ CT practices for young learners (Bers et al., 2014).
Methods & Data Sources: This poster will present the design and outcomes of the curriculum. The poster will present data collected from 4 classrooms across 2 schools (73 total students) showing how students engaged with the curriculum and highlighting both CT and mathematics learning that occurred over the course of the 15-lesson curriculum.
Results: A central goal of the curriculum project was to integrate CT into elementary classrooms in ways that drew on classroom and district resources. Through early strategic discussions with district leaders, the research team learned about the availability of Sphero robots as well as a district-wide initiative to create innovative learning experiences, called cornerstones, that have both dedicated classroom time and summer PD support. Researchers and district leaders created a new elementary mathematics cornerstone in which learners use a Sphero robot to explore mathematical and CT concepts in a mutually supportive way (Authors, 2020a). The poster will highlight several lessons in which learners explored foundational mathematics concepts, including proportion, ratios, accuracy, precision, angles, and geometry through programming the Sphero to accomplish various tasks. During the poster session, we will bring Sphero robots and invite attendees to complete some of the mathematical challenges we designed as part of the curriculum. We will also provide evidence of student work showing what it looks like for elementary students to employ CT concepts as part of a mathematics class.
Scholarly Significance: This work contributes to our understanding of how to integrate CT into elementary classrooms in mutually supportive ways. It both highlights ways learners can engage with CT alongside conventional classroom content but also demonstrates how to implement such an instructional strategy in ways that draw on existing district supports.

Authors

• Janet Fofang, University of Pittburgh

• David Weintrop, University of Maryland