Investigating socially engaged arts-based approaches to learning to code

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In a recent report, the Royal Society outlined multiple problems with the current computing programme in UK schools. Issues such as a low student uptake, under-researched pedagogy and curriculum, and a low number of female students choosing the subject are noted as a cause for concern (Royal Society, 2017).At the same time, there are a number of arts centres in the UK developing code literacy programs. The arts centres' approach is to make learning to code relevant through projects that critically engage with the lives of the communities they serve. What the media centres' approaches to code have in common is that they develop literacy through a situated media practice. They make learning relevant through being embedded in local contexts, and in the process they critically frame how code affects learners lives. Seften- Green (2017) suggests that educators in technical subjects need to find ways to teach technology in the context of wider social and political questions of power and meaning. He highlights the need to move beyond the technical side of code, and embed it in a socially engaged learning process.This practice-led research project is an interdisciplinary study at the intersection of Education, Computer Science, and Design. My aim is to develop an understanding of socially engaged approaches to learning to code through the arts. I will work collaboratively with three arts organisations to develop an in depth understanding of pedagogies and curriculum they use to teach coding. I will be investigating the methods and processes that are being developed at the arts centres, and carry out research into how learners respond when learning to code through socially engaged arts practice. The project is grounded in design research, and includes adopting a situated role to collect information about the methods and processes collaborating partners use. Part of the project will be carried out through designing and facilitating code workshops.Through the project I intend to develop a 'praxis' vocabulary. This will inform a taxonomy that articulates the educational practice in relation to learning theory, and could be used as a blueprint by educators across different settings in developing programmes of code literacy. Dissemination of the research will be achieved through academic outputs but also in collaboration with the media centres who are well connected with policy makers and other influencers. This research is timely given the need to improve and widen participation in computing education and has implications for policy around computing curriculum.Royal Society, (2017). After the reboot: computing education in UK schools, Royal Society: London https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/computing-educationSefton-Green. J, and Erstad. O, (2017) Researching 'learning lives' - a New Agenda for Learning, Media and Technology, Learning, Media and Technology, 42:2, 246-250