Providing learners with authentic interdisciplinary experiences is one strategy to foster positive perceptions of CS as a discipline that supports a breadth of applications. We designed a high school mini course using...
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ISBN:
(纸本)9781450390705
Providing learners with authentic interdisciplinary experiences is one strategy to foster positive perceptions of CS as a discipline that supports a breadth of applications. We designed a high school mini course using climate science as an interdisciplinary context, since it is of interest to today's youth and provides opportunities to engage with authentic applications of computing that leverage real data to examine issues. The course was designed to engage students in climate change, data visualization, distributed computing, and motivate the use of advanced data abstractions and practices. We used NetsBlox, an extension of Snap! that makes real datasets & Web services accessible through easy-to-use blocks. A paleoclimatologist led climate science discussions and research questions with students. Post-survey responses to questions probing insights students gained shed light on the positive impact on students' perceptions of CS through this interdisciplinary experience, and how it expanded their horizons for future STEM inquiry using data and computing. We share curricular details for use in high schools and takeaways to help promote rich programming experiences that improve students' perceptions of computing.
Efforts expanding computing for all continue in earnest across the U.S.. Many are short-term in nature;while it is generally known that short-term engagement in computing before college does not necessarily result in ...
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ISBN:
(纸本)9781450370929
Efforts expanding computing for all continue in earnest across the U.S.. Many are short-term in nature;while it is generally known that short-term engagement in computing before college does not necessarily result in students going into computing majors or careers, there may be other outcomes from these programs that may be equally important or meaningful but currently missed. To examine this, I draw from the theoretical framework of figured worlds to see what former participants perspectives on computing are and how short-term computing education programs affect their participation in computing.
The focus of this research was to create and test an introductory computer science course for middle school. Titled "Foundations for Advancing Computational Thinking" (FACT), the course aims to prepare and m...
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The focus of this research was to create and test an introductory computer science course for middle school. Titled "Foundations for Advancing Computational Thinking" (FACT), the course aims to prepare and motivate middle school learners for future engagement with algorithmic problem solving. FACT was also piloted as a seven-week course on Stanford's OpenEdX MOOC platform for blended in-class learning. Unique aspects of FACT include balanced pedagogical designs that address the cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal aspects of "deeper learning";a focus on pedagogical strategies for mediating and assessing for transfer from block-based to text-based programming;curricular materials for remedying misperceptions of computing;and "systems of assessments" (including formative and summative quizzes and tests, directed as well as open-ended programming assignments, and a transfer test) to get a comprehensive picture of students' deeper computational learning. Empirical investigations, accomplished over two iterations of a design-based research effort with students (aged 11- 14 years) in a public school, sought to examine student understanding of algorithmic constructs, and how well students transferred this learning from Scratch to text-based languages. Changes in student perceptions of computing as a discipline were measured. Results and mixed-method analyses revealed that students in both studies (1) achieved substantial learning gains in algorithmic thinking skills, (2) were able to transfer their learning from Scratch to a text-based programming context, and (3) achieved significant growth toward a more mature understanding of computing as a discipline. Factor analyses of prior computing experience, multivariate regression analyses, and qualitative analyses of student projects and artifact-based interviews were conducted to better understand the factors affecting learning outcomes. Prior computing experiences (as measured by a pretest) and math ability were found
Past research points to gross misperceptions of the discipline of computer science among students in middle and high school. As efforts to introduce computing education in K-12 gains traction in tandem with initiative...
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ISBN:
(纸本)9781450326056
Past research points to gross misperceptions of the discipline of computer science among students in middle and high school. As efforts to introduce computing education in K-12 gains traction in tandem with initiatives that address issues of interest and attitudes towards CS, misperceptions of computing as a discipline must also be addressed as early as middle school, since that is a key stage for identity building. This paper shares the results of a curricular intervention that aims to show CS to students in a new light- in real world contexts and as a creative and problem-solving discipline;as something bigger and broader than the "computer-centric" view that many students are known to harbor.
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