#CSK8 Podcast - A podcast for computer science educators

In this episode I unpack the Kapor Center’s (2021) publication titled “Culturally responsive-sustaining computer science education: A framework,” which describes multiple courses of action for six core components of culturally responsive-sustaining CS education.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

01:11 Paper introduction

02:37 Two main elements in this framework

04:16 Six core components

05:04 acknowledge racism in CS and enact anti-racist pracitces

06:24 create inclusive and equitable classroom cultures

07:29 Pedagogy and curriculum are rigorous, relevant, and encourage sociopolitical critiques

08:36 Student voice, agency, and self-determination and prioritized in CS classrooms

09:30 Family and community cultural assets are incorporated into CS classrooms

10:37 Diverse professionals and role models provide exposure to a range of CS/tech careers

12:30 Lingering questions and thoughts

12:38 What isms, phobias, or inequalities exist within the communities you work in?

15:05 Outro

In this interview with Jean Ryoo, we discuss equity as an evolving idea, what an ideal CS class looks like, collaborating and learning through research-practitioner partnerships (RPPs), the importance of examining our own biases, the importance of community, working through burnout/depression/anxiety, helping students through depression and suicidal ideation, the problems with whitewashing in education, and so much more.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

01:27 Jean introducing herself

01:36 How Jean became interested in researching CS education

05:31 A belief Jean no longer has about education

07:07 What's an ideal CS classroom?

11:25 Making connections with learning

16:02 How has Jean's understanding of education changed?

17:10 Something that has surprised Jean about equity work

18:21 What is an RPP and why would an educator want to participate?

25:06 If Jean could wave a magic wand...

28:21 How does Jean examine her own biases?

33:27 How I examine my own biases

36:13 How Jean iterates on her abilities

38:44 How Jean prevents burnout

40:43 How I prevent burnout

48:29 What Jean wishes there was more research on

50:19 What has surprised me with RPPs

56:29 How to connect with Jean

57:01 Outro

In this episode I unpack my (2020) publication titled “Applications of affinity space characteristics in music education,” which has twelve characteristics of informal learning spaces that I will discuss in relation to computer science education.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

00:30 Abstract

01:56 Background

03:21 What are affinity spaces?

05:02 Affinity spaces share a common endeavor

06:03 Affinity spaces are not segregated by age

07:40 Affinity spaces are not segregated by experience

09:12 Affinity spaces encourage, but do not require, active participation

11:26 Interaction transforms content within an affinity space

12:53 Affinity spaces encourage both intensive and extensive knowledge

15:00 Affinity spaces encourage individual and distributed knowledge

15:54 Affinity spaces encourage dispersed knowledge

17:17 Affinity spaces encourage and honor tacit knowledge

19:22 Affinity spaces encourage a multitude of engagement

21:18 Affinity spaces have multiple routes to status

22:37 Leadership is porous and leaders are resources

24:07 Affinity spaces as a lens for chipmusic.org

25:02 Juxtaposing affinity spaces with communities of practice

25:34 Affinity spaces and formalized education

27:54 Applying affinity spaces characteristics within a classroom

32:44 Affinity spaces as a heuristic

33:20 Some questions to consider

34:40 Outro

In this interview with Dominick Sanders, we discuss the importance of connecting with and listening to students, the impact of being a positive role model for kids, considering equity for individuals and across the entire state of South Carolina, what Dominick learned through their experience with Xposure STEM, Dominick’s plan for improving CS in South Carolina, Dominick’s experience with CSTA’s Equity Fellowship, how Dominick continues to learn and grow as a CS educator, thinking through intersectionality in relation to representation, and so much more.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

01:45 An introduction by Dominick

02:04 How Dominick got into CS education

02:54 Why Dominick went into CS education instead of industry

03:49 Experiences in education that continue to impact Dominick

05:20 How Dominick recruited students into his CS classes

06:59 Something that Dominick no longer believes about education

09:07 What is holding back educators and what can we do about it?

10:04 You can be what you can't see

11:55 How this quote informs Dominick's approach to education

13:36 Xposure STEM

15:34 How Dominick hopes to impact CS in South Carolina

17:30 Recommendations for improving equity and inclusion in CS

19:25 How Dominick became a CSTA Equity Fellow

21:05 What Dominck hopes CS will look like in five years

22:22 How Dominick helps teachers see new ways to teach

24:39 How Dominick iterates on his own abilities

28:17 How Dominick prevents burnout

30:12 Where are there gaps in current research?

31:28 Something a listener might help Dominick with

33:04 Current gaps in computer science education

35:53 Representation and intersectionality

37:45 How to connect with Dominick

38:32 Outro

In this episode I unpack Bell’s (2021) publication titled “CS unplugged or coding classes? Perhaps a more appropriate question is ‘why not both’?,” which argues there’s value in doing both unplugged and coding lessons.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

01:12 My single sentence summary

01:21 What are unplugged lessons?

01:59 Arguments for and against unplugged lessons

04:57 Should unplugged replace programming?

06:55 Goals of introducing CS to young learners

07:45 Why does unplugged work for some and not others?

10:13 Lingering questions and thoughts

10:20 How do you use unplugged in your classes? When do/n’t you use unplugged in your classes?

14:42 When might you use unplugged without situating it within application of understanding on a device?

15:22 When might you use coding on it’s own?

15:56 How do you engage in either approach in a way that contextualizes or situates the learning?

16:54 Outro

In this interview with Mark Guzdial, we discuss the similarities and differences between constructionism and constructivism, think through when to situate and apply learning, discuss contextualized learning, creating multiple pathways for exploring computer science, problematizing subservient relationships with integrated curricula or courses, task-specific and domain-specific languages, using multiple learning theories through a multiperspectivalist approach, changes to public policy that Mark would make to help out CS educators and the field, and much more.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

01:53 Mark introducing himself

03:38 How Mark got into CS education

07:28 Something about education that Mark no longer believes

11:34 Thoughts on constructionism vs constructivism

16:28 How to keep students engaged in learning

21:12 Integrating without putting disciplines within a subservient relationship

30:38 What do people misunderstand about constructionism and constructivism?

34:18 Other theories that inform Mark's teaching

38:33 What has surprised Mark about writing over 1,000 blog posts?

43:44 What Mark wishes more people were discussing in the field of CS education

51:48 If Mark could wave a magic wand...

57:26 Recommendations for improving equity and inclusion

01:02:59 How Mark prevents burnout

01:05:27 What Mark wishes there was more research on

01:09:56 Something Mark could use help with

01:13:07 What's holding back CS educators and what can we do about it?

01:16:02 How to connect with Mark

01:16:44 Outro

In this episode I discuss some example questions we can ask to encourage kids to think deeper about computer science and computational thinking by unpacking two papers on using guiding questions in mathematics education. The first paper paper by Way (2014) is titled “Using questioning to stimulate mathematical thinking” and the second paper by Pennant (2018) is titled “Developing a classroom culture that supports a problem-solving approach to mathematics.”

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

01:32 Introduction to the first article

01:39 Four types of computational thinking

02:07 Starter questions

02:42 Questions to stimulate computational thinking

03:24 Assessment questions

04:13 Final discussion questions

04:59 Levels of computational thinking

05:37 Memory

05:58 Translation

06:23 Interpretation

06:56 Application

07:22 Analysis

07:54 Synthesis

08:28 Evaluation

09:27 Introduction to the second article

09:44 Who does most of the talking in whole-class parts of the lesson?

10:46 What questions do I ask?

11:16 Who answers the questions?

11:55 How well do I listen to the students' answers and seek to understand what they are saying?

13:13 What do I do with the students' answers?

13:44 How do I facilitate the learning?

14:19 How confident are the students to take a risk, to try out ideas, to make mistakes?

15:11 What does my body language communicate?

16:39 Lingering questions and thoughts

16:48 What levels or types of computational thinking questions are different from the mathematical thinking discussed in this article?

17:13 What other question types, levels or techniques from other disciplines might inform the kinds of questions we ask in a computer science class?

18:00 Outro

In this interview with Phil Bagge, we discuss the rise of CS in UK curricula, the evolution of Phil’s pedagogical approach, how time constraints impact pedagogical approaches, not letting the loudest voices drive instruction, how research informs Phil’s approach for working with teachers new to CS, how to emphasize student agency in teacher professional development, and much more.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

00:51 Phil introducing himself

01:38 How Phil started teaching computer science

05:35 How CS went from a small number of classrooms to a national movement

08:16 How Phil's pedagogy and philosophy changed over time

17:36 What Phil wishes there was more research on

20:44 What does CS look like right now and would Phil do with more time?

25:28 What about integrating CS?

31:10 Phil's approach to professional development

36:02 Teaching to encourage agency

38:34 A critique of computational thinking

40:19 What prevents teachers from effectively teaching computer science?

43:50 If Phil could wave a magic wand...

44:44 Thoughts on transitioning from block-based to text-based coding

47:44 How Phil iterates on his abilities as an educator

49:38 How a deeper understanding of CS informs pedagogy with inexperienced students

53:20 How Phil prevents burnout

56:41 How educators have tried to improve equity and inclusion in CS

01:00:27 What's something Phil could use some help with from a listener?

01:01:42 What Phil wishes there was more of

01:04:34 How to connect with Phil

01:05:08 Outro

In this episode I unpack Koshy, Martin, Hinton, Scott, Twarek, and Davis’ (2021) publication titled “The Computer Science Teacher Landscape: Results of a Nationwide Teacher Survey,” which provides recommendations for the field based on a summary of findings on teacher demographics, current challenges for CS educators, and the state of cultural relevance in CS education.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

00:48 Summary of the papper

01:47 My single sentence summary

02:20 Executive summary

03:16 What are the demographic backgrounds of CS teachers?

08:08 What credentials and experiences do teachers bring to CS classrooms?

12:20 What challenges do PreK-12 CS teachers face in building equitable classrooms?

19:08 To what extent are effective culturally-relevant CS teaching practices

21:54 What are the recommendations for policy and practice to support PreK-12

25:59 Lingering questions and thoughts

26:49 Outro

In this interview with Jason Bohrer, we discuss lessons learned coming into computer science education from another subject area, lessons learned working with CSTA chapters across the country (and during a pandemic), how CSTA has impacted the field and continues to evolve over time, how Jason continued to learn about CS without getting burned out, considering equity and inclusion when recruiting for CS education, CSTA’s new CS Teacher Standards, and much more.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

01:05 Jason introducing himself

01:19 How Jason got into CS education

04:38 Advice for recruiting students into CS classes

05:46 An experience in education that continues to impact Jason

08:15 How Jason's approach to education changed over time

13:19 How Jason's understanding of education continues to evolve with a national perspective

15:28 How CSTA has had a positive impact on the field

16:57 Upcoming changes to CSTA

19:08 How CSTA chapters have pivoted due to COVID

20:28 What have chapters learned from these pivots?

21:53 How chapters are trying to prevent "Zoom fatigue"

23:21 What's holding back CS education and what can we do about it?

26:46 How Jason iterates on his abilities

30:40 How Jason prevents burnout

32:30 Recommendations for improving equity and inclusion in CS education

37:43 What Jason wishes there was more research on

38:34 What's something a listen could help Jason with?

43:57 How to connect with Jason

47:17 Outro