Teach small chunks when delivering the programming lessons. Give lots of time for students to explore and play around with widget tools. Do not front load too much - concepts before vocabulary and videos. When students have to explore while they learn - they collaborate more with each other and the material becomes more engaging.
I believe equity and inquiry are built into the curriculum. As long as I follow the activity plans, I will be providing lessons that value everyoneâs voice. Having said that, it is up to me to promote an atmosphere that grows meaningful participation and discussion, regardless of background experience, and does not allow for intimidation.
The equity and disovery learning impagts how we teach by suing tools and strategies that are far reaching. Working towards giving students an equal opportunity to learn combined with self discovery opportunities. Only then can it be equitable to all students and not keep any of them from learning about CS and Programming.
I feel that learners retain more if they discover the topics that will be covered. Equity not only invites a variety of learners to engage in the topic, but it helps to reinforce their learning, if students experience it several different ways.
Constructivism should be the main instructional strategy utilized in the classroom during the learning of programming. When students construct their own knowledge based on the analysis of patterns, rules, and behaviors and make connections to prior knowledge transfer happens with concepts. Creativity, communication, and collaboration are embraced. The affective level is low and students feel safe making conjectures, misteaks, and sharing information. Equity is increased and all learners believe they can contribute to the learning environment and learn. We must remember to not be the sage on the stage but exist as the facilitator of knowledge, guide on the side and use technology (videos, widgets, etc) to deliver content. Through the use of socratic questioning , we can assist students to gain access to the understanding of knowledge and understandings.
I think CSP has a lot of equity for programming built into the curriculum, For instance, a student doesnât need access to a computer with specialized software. All that is necessary is access to a web browser. The app allows for drag and drop so that students that are new to programming will not feel overwhelmed. It then allows for them to observe the code and make a connection. It is important for the teacher to make use of these tools and to build confidence in a student who may have little or no experience with programming. Using the tools provided the teacher can be creative to encourage inquiry when teaching programmingâŚLet the student learn JavaScript by experimenting with the app and encourage them to create a game or some other program that they are interested in.
Discovery in my opinion will be more easily achieved than equity. Students are coming to our class with so many different levels of knowledge in programming. Thus, it is very important to provide opportunities to âallâ students to learn the code from the beginning. Upper level students may initially have to be patient with the pace of the class. Students must be provided with as many sources and support as possible. Some are:
pairs
online tutorials tutoring sessions
online notes
staying with the curriculum so that knowledge is built through scaffolding
Iâm fully behind the statement âCSP is for everybodyâ, and I believe that extends out to including equitable teaching practices that are built on research supporting deeper and more sustained engagement for all student populations. Insofar as there is research suggesting a connection between a teaching technique rooted in collaborative, discovery-based learning and such increased, sustained student engagement (which there is), then I would offer that we should find these techniques and be willing to incorporate them in our âteacherâs toolboxâ.
Pair programming, for one example, has been cited often in research, and has been a topic of discussion at other PD (such as that delivered by facilitators at recent Tapestry workshops). A key focus of pair programming is collaboration and discovery in arriving at a solution to a programming task. So, for those students for whom there is evidence that within their culture collaboration is held as a valued form of learning and communication, this technique can serve them better than a more lecture-based style or one that downplays interaction among students.
I would also offer that downplaying the role of âmistakesâ as part of the classroom environment when working through a programming task is central to ensuring a place at the table for all students. This is a key point from the discussion on Dweckâs âMindsetâ prior to this weekâs in-person PD. Discovery-based learning at its heart rests on the principle of the student taking an unexpected wrong turn and finding their way back on the path, with the result being a deeper understanding of how to do something by recalling what NOT to do. Ensuring, then, that while teaching programming students are not set up to either âmake it or break itâ will go a long way to extending student resilience, persistence, and creativity.
I believe that the way we look at topics in this course means that there is a very low floor so that all students can jump into the topics with limited knowledge. I think the same will apply to programming and we will start from the bottom giving students the building blocks and taking it one step at a time. I think more will be focused on trying things that them working exactly as planned the first time.
Black lives matter. It matters to students that they can connect their studies to relatable experiences. As we all navigate through each lesson, we discover how technology affects us and how we can thus affect technology. Students create, design, formulate, postulate, hypothesize authentic substance and ideals using newly acquired tools and skills that provide meaning and i nsight to their lifelong learning.
I think that to achieve equity when we teach programming in CSP, we need a level playing field where no one student has an advantage over another. We cannot assume the students have any prior experience with a specific programming language. The programming language should be easy to use and learn. It should allow for both students new to programming and those with experience to feel challenged. This is a difficult thing to balance. The language should allow new students to come on board quickly and yet offer enough depth to keep those students with programming experience interested. The assignments in the programming piece also need to be scalable to allow everyone to feel challenged but not overwhelmed.
Discovery learning means that the teacher is going to allow the students to explore and learn more on their own rather than follow a prescribed day-by-day plan for what will be taught. There will less âlecture â demo â doâ and more guiding the students on where to look to find the answer to the problem they are trying to solve. I feel that the students will retain the information better if they find it themselves. This also leads to students helping students which is a great situation!
âLow Floor, High Ceilingâ and introduce uncommon topics and then move to more familiar ones. These two concepts are great for equalizing the playing field and providing opportunities for all students. In programming, you can have a creative task where students with more experience can move into more dynamic solutions, but everyone still gets a solution.
As teachers we should always be cognizant of our students and the way they learn. In order to foster equity and include discovery in our classroom I believe it is important to ensure that students are aware that their roles will change. Using the driver/navigator approach is one strategy that reinforces equity, while not limiting the opportunity for inquiry and discovery. This strategy can be used to introduce/teach the students programming. Giving the students the opportunity to explore and discover removes the hangups that they may have about programming and provide them with discovery while actively engaged in challenging activities; working in pairs/groups also ensure that there is some one to rely on for assistance when needed.
There are no simple answers to issues of equity in education. I am certain that all of us who have taken this PD and the earlier PD in ECS are well aware of the problems outlined in books like âStuck in the Shallow End.â
I can confidently draw on my own experience as a teacher that seem to work well with most of my students. First, I do my best to take a personal interest in the studentsâ own lives, interests and experiences. It requires a strong relationship with a student, to show that you care about them as people to build the kind of bond that good teachers need to do their jobs effectively.
Second, I try to find ways to connect something in the studentsâ experiences or interests that can be tied to the lessons I am delivering. I have learned that most students see that learning is more valuable when they have a stake in what is going on in the classroom.
Finally, I can always appeal to their more materialistic desires. I showcase career choices and compensation that are open to them with an education in CS. Inspiration can take many forms but monetary rewards seem to be very helpful for some students.
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What we have talked about with equity and inquiry will improve the way we teach programming in many ways! We will use inquiry to help students become more engaged in programming and get them to think outside of the box. Inquiry encourages discourse among students, and that encourages deeper learning. When we use inquiry and equitable practices, all students benefit. We will be teaching programming in a way that helps students learn better.
By stimulating our studentâs thought process through inquiry we can hopefully broaden the minds and boost confidence in our otherwise insecure students. Riding our classrooms of insecurity can (and hopefully will) provide the equity we as teachers seek to foster in our teaching environment. Computer Science concepts such as programming can be intimidating to insecure students. A constant balance of provoking inquiring thought and success of equitable classroom instruction delivery equates to more confident programmers.
It means intentionally changing our teaching practices to create a classroom that is more open to students who would not feel as comfortable in a traditional compsci class, and then setting our students up to figure things out instead of just telling them the answers.
The discussions involving level playing fields were supported by the demonstrations of the lessons. The abstraction of the activities lets students discover rather than follow giving students of diverse learning styles and underrepresented Black and Latino males as well as all females the opportunity to succeed and succeed with more than credit starting in May of 2017. The strategies such as ânavigator and driver,â journals, elbow partners, face partners, and table partners.used in a collaborative setting like we used in the professional development will help level the playing field as well. In a group or partner effort, engagement, collaboration, discovery, inquiry, creativity, and reflection happen. Explaining to someone else always clarifies meaning for me and while I will not be explaining, partners will, and if I setup my classroom correctly, by the time we reach programming, students will know that it is protocol to ask someone other than me as a first solution. I only plan to step in if the majority of the class is lost. I do feel that the structure of the curriculum purposefully puts me in a role of facilitator and observer placing the accountability upon the students. That accountability will be tangible and any time I have seen students create whether it was simple or complex, it belonged to them and it was a proud moment when displayed. I watched my teaching style change in the ECS course without the structure and online curriculum of CSP. I feel the curriculum also has the extensions for students moving at a faster pace to allow those needing resources such as the videos or just time to absorb and comprehend the directions will have sufficient time to complete the artifacts and grasp concepts needed to complete the two PTâs. The built-in creativity levels the playing field as well. Students have a voice and a choice and that is a rarity in their education these days with so much stress with Common Core. I see the curriculum as the leveled playing field and my concentrated effort not to show bias consciously towards anyone and if I find that I call on boys more than girls or the rare white student in my class or the excelling students, I will correct that behavior as well. Showing equity in attention to everyone in the classroom fosters equity in the entire room. Knowing which students do not have access to the internet at home or even a computer, also helps me level the playing field by helping them get to the library or a computer lab during lunch or offer computers during my College Now course that I do not fill to 34 students,
We want to make sure we continue discovery learning in the programming unit and lessons. We also want to make sure that we have an equitable environment. Throughout our PD we have utilized group work. This group work gives students supports and enables students to share and help each other out. Working in a group allows you to have discussions in a smaller setting, and then feel more confident in sharing out with the whole group. It also allows for more voices to be heard, even if it is just in a small group everyone gets to share.
We should continue the Inquiry and discovery learning in the programming portion as well. It shouldnât just be telling students how to program, but students should be able to discovery concepts as they program. We should continue to have differentiated tasks, for example, unplugged lessons, videos, exploration activities, activities were students redesign and modify programs. Lessons that showcase students different strengths will allow for equity and will probably allow for more discovery, because students may be more invested. (Example: projects that might allow for students that may be very artistic a place to shine, or students strong at presenting can showcase their talents as well, etc.) The process to learn programming should reinforce ideas and allow students a chance to succeed at a pace or time that works for them, because students may learn the concepts at different paces.
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Open learning offers the possibility to integrate individual interests and knowledge by using obligatory and voluntary tasks. One part of open learning is discovery learning, which may allow better learning results than traditional lessons. The discovery learning process should make the CSP course interesting and insightful for every student. Another good reason for discovery learning comes from the field of memory research. The student memorizes and learns new information by connecting existing knowledge to new knowledge taught. This process of learning could be different from student to student. We should anticipate and be open to engagement each of our students in the âopen learning and discovery method.â The student should learn new concepts line-upon-line; building upon new information taught and discovering their way through the process. This concept works!