Integrating Computer Science into the Elementary Curriculum in Culturally Relevant Ways: A Researcher-Practitioner-Partnership in Native-American Serving Districts in Wyoming

美国土著社区在计算机科学专业中代表性不足，因此有必要在教育上使这一领域与土著文化相关。美国研究所与怀俄明州教育部、风河保留地的三个怀俄明州学区和BootUp专业发展公司合作，将编写、试点和完善3-5年级的课程，该课程以文化相关的方式将计算机科学与怀俄明州印第安人全民教育的社会研究标准结合起来。2022年，该课程将由怀俄明州教育部出版，供该州所有地区使用，以实施新规定的怀俄明州计算机科学和印度全民社会研究教育标准。该项目还向全国其他地区和州提供课程，这些地区和州为土著学生提供关于如何调整课程材料以使其与所服务的人口当地相关的建议。该团队正在为当地和州教育机构提供一份报告，其中包含如何将计算机科学教育与3-5年级的其他小学内容整合在一起的“经验教训”。通过这种方式，该项目不仅扩大了居住在怀俄明州风河保留地的历史上缺乏服务的美国原住民学生对计算机科学的参与，而且还惠及了整个怀俄明州和全国的美国原住民学生。计算机科学教育主要侧重于中学生的政策和课程。小学教师经常表示担心，他们没有时间教计算机科学，因为要教其他科目的压力很大。拟议的研究将产生将计算机科学与社会研究标准相结合的课程资源，从而为这一挑战提供解决方案。BootUp Professional Development正在编写课程，美国研究所正在领导一个网络改进社区，专注于改进课程，以确保它是可用的、有用的，并且与文化相关。网络改进社区的参与者包括怀俄明州教育部，来自怀俄明州三个地区的25名课堂教师，BootUp专业发展的工作人员和美国研究所的研究人员。到2022年，该项目将传播全国其他地区可以适应和使用的课程资源，并将为如何以与文化相关的方式设计综合课程提供一个模型。此外，该项目还展示了参与专业发展和关注形成性反馈的网络改进社区如何能够提高教师自我效能、教师内容和教学知识的水平，并最终使学生掌握计算机科学内容标准。这个项目是由CS for All资助的。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Native American communities are underrepresented in computer science professions, and there is a need educationally to make this domain relevant to Native cultures. The American Institutes for Research--in collaboration with the Wyoming Department of Education, three Wyoming school districts on the Wind River Reservation, and BootUp Professional Development--will write, pilot, and refine a curriculum for grades 3-5 that integrates computer science and Wyoming Indian Education for All social studies standards in culturally relevant ways. In 2022, this curriculum is being published by Wyoming Department of Education for all districts in the state to use as they implement newly mandated Wyoming computer science and Indian Education for All social studies standards. The project is also making the curriculum available to other districts and states nationwide that serve Native students with suggestions about how to adapt the curricular materials to make them locally relevant to the populations they are serving. The team is providing a report for local and state education agencies with "lessons learned" on how to integrate computer science education with other elementary school content in Grades 3-5. In this way, the project not only is broadening participation in computer science for historically underserved Native American students living on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming but also is reaching Native American students throughout Wyoming and the nation. Computer science education has been focused largely on policies and curricula for secondary students. Elementary school teachers often express concern that they do not have time to teach computer science, given competing pressures to teach other subjects. The proposed study will generate curricular resources that integrate computer science with social studies standards, thus providing a solution to this challenge. BootUp Professional Development is authoring the curriculum, and the American Institutes for Research is leading a networked improvement community focused on refining the curriculum to ensure that it is usable, useful, and culturally relevant. Participants in the networked improvement community include the Wyoming Department of Education, 25 classroom teachers from three Wyoming districts, staff from BootUp Professional Development and American Institutes for Research researchers. In 2022, the project is disseminating curricular resources that other districts nationwide can adapt and use and will also produce a model for how to design an integrated curriculum in a way that is culturally relevant. In addition, the project is demonstrating how participating in both professional development and a networked improvement community that focuses on formative feedback can result in higher levels of teacher self-efficacy, teacher content and pedagogical knowledge, and, ultimately, student mastery of computer science content standards. This project is funded by CS for All.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.