Collaborative Course Design: Opportunities for Reflection through Computational and Digital Literacies

• In Event: Walking the Walk and Changing the Talk: Teacher Educators and Teacher Candidates Co-Constructing CTDEL (Computational Thinking and Digital Equitable Literacies) Practices

Abstract

Objectives
This work showcases the course design process in a teacher education program. Through collaborative methodologies, the authors co-created a course and used teacher candidates’ (TCs) feedback to iterate assignments and activities. The authors purposefully provided TCs with the space to reflect on themselves before moving to pedagogical practices by 1) weaving content knowledge with computational and digital literacies and 2) exploring the intersections of identity, childhood education, and language ideologies to guide and inform students’ understanding of the course content and themselves.
The following questions guide this study:
● How are teacher educators’ (authors) collaboration informing and shaping pedagogical approaches and curricular decision-making processes?
● How are teacher candidates making sense of their emerging conceptualizations about language and schooling through computational and digital literacies?
Theoretical Framework
Effective curriculum design fosters inclusive, meaningful learning for linguistically diverse students (España & Herrera, 2020; Espinosa & Ascenzi-Moreno, 2021). Given the scarcity of empirical studies on collaboration (Nevin et al., 2009), and the need to highlight the behind-the-scenes process of effective collaboration among higher education teacher educators (Weiss et al., 2015), the authors designed a foundations education course and created intentional reflection opportunities by drawing from collaborative methodologies (Deckman & Ohito, 2020; Nevin et. al, 2009; Scruggs et al, 2007).
This course is also part of a large-scale institutional initiative aiming to integrate computational and digital literacies (CDLs) into teacher education programs. Thus, this paper highlights how course content (childhood education) was leveraged to introduce CDLs through a collaborative process. As Yadav et al. (2017) argue, intentional integration of computational thinking is necessary to equip teachers and TCs with the knowledge to teach P-12 students. Warr et al. (2023) also argue for integration and cohesion at the program level, which means that courses must integrate technology and CDLs in purposeful ways.
Methods
Drawing from Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR) grounding principles (Fine & Torre, 2021), this study included co-researchers (authors and two teacher candidates) to collect, analyze, and sensemake the research. Data collection included student artifacts, interviews, a focus group, course materials, and co-researchers design sessions. Iterative coding and analysis was done through grounded theory, showcasing emerging theories from the data and adapting to ongoing curricular design and student input (Charmaz, 2000; Cole, 2022). Data was coded using InVivo for transcripts and value and process coding to accommodate the diversity of artifacts (Saldaña, 2016).
Findings
The following findings surfaced in this research: 1) collaborative course design that is iterative creates mindful integrational of CDLs in teacher education courses 2) opportunities to engage through CDLs allows TCs to deeply reflect on language, identity, and future pedagogical practices.
Significance
Through purposeful collaboration and an iterative design thinking processes, the authors integrated CDLs and responded to ongoing student engagement and feedback meaningfully. Students’ journeys, voices, and feedback are key to curriculum design and instruction (España & Herrera, 2020; Espinosa & Ascenzi-Moreno, 2021). This work can support teacher educators to integrate CDLs meaningfully and recommends drawing from purposeful collaborative course design that supports TCs emerging pedagogical practices.

Authors

• Jessica Velez Tello, Brooklyn College - CUNY

• Veronica Isabel Paredes, Graduate Center - CUNY