Hi Jameela!

There are various ways we could go about this, but I think the structuring of the conversations between the students and teachers has to generate from beginning to help students to think critically. Who is making now? Who is recognized as a maker? Who develops the software we use to communicate with one another? Do these individuals represent our values and our communities? Are we using certain products and technologies because we feel we have no other options? What does it take to ensure your voice is represented? 

This is by no means easy, and the struggle is how to get these conversations happening, when we have other learning objectives to meet, is difficult. But I don't think it's necessarily an either/or situation with physics or computational thinking content. I just think we have to be more intentional about how we present the content in a culturally responsive way. 

We look to connect with student-driven interests by having students think about how they spend their time, what they care about in their community, and what they love doing. We have worksheets to help with this that I can share with you (and we will put on our website!).

Hi Kelsey!

We have worksheets to assist with this (that we will put on our site) that gets students to think about (1) their favorite things (music, tv, movies, mentors, etc.), (2) how they spend their time, and (3) what assets their communities have and what could be improved upon. These serve as the starting point to getting students to think about their agency and what they might want to make.

Hi Lisa! So great to "see" you!

We have students assess not just themselves, but each other. The teachers we worked with said it was vital when they have classrooms of 35+ students. If they can delegate the assessment work to the students, it not only helps with metacognition (as you said), but 's a timesaver!

We don't see it as added "load". What you need to do is to set up the appropriate conditions for self-assessment to happen. That involves creating an environment when teacher-student roles are fluid, where discussing and documenting process and failure is valued, and where outcomes are clear. When dealing with computational thinking and engineering, some assessment is simple because "either it works or it doesn't". When there is more complicated understanding that needs to take place, students begin to discuss how to proceed, which is also great for learning. 

Hi Andee,

Great question, and one I think our project really needs to work more with. One of our teachers used a worksheet organized around Bloom's Taxonomy to help students think more deeply about what their peers did and ask questions that reflected that. It was impressive to see that when given some guidance, students asked very thoughtful questions that pushed the presenter to consider other avenues to pursue. We were thinking that perhaps we could do something similar to the Bloom's worksheet, but more organized around computational thinking skills. 

Hi Erica!

Great question! We see the integration of CT and CRP happening in three ways. First, students need to develop a critical mindset. They need to questioning assumptions about the way they are supposed to interact with the world and learn. Are they using knowledge and communication structures built for them? If it doesn't work for them, why not?  Second, teachers need to really get to know their students and their communities in order to best understand how to help them with challenging concepts. Finally, there has to be a lot of attention paid to process. Both teachers and students should document student learning and periodically revisit the evolution of their understanding in order to develop the metacognitive and strategic processing skills that can help students advance. 

Hi Alka! I enjoyed watching your video and would really like to learn more about your assessment approaches. Our summative tools measure affect and CT/physics/engineering learning. Our formative assessments are embedded in activities throughout our unit that not only help teachers and students gauge learning, but are designed to motivate them, as well. Let's plan a time to talk! 

Absolutely! The best way to reach me is email because I'll be traveling on and off the rest of the summer. Our lead researcher, Loran Parker, and I are attending the DRK12/STEM+C PI meeting in June, so if you are also attending, perhaps we can meet up there?

I am! See you then! Safe travels.