Abstract:
From theory bias to theory dialogue: Embracing cognitive, situated and critical framings of computational thinking in K-12 CS education
During the last decade, national initiatives around the world have introduced computing into K-12 education under the umbrella of computational thinking. While initial efforts have focused on computational thinking’s relevance for college and career readiness, more recent efforts also include creative expression, social justice, and critical inquiry, leading to a reevaluation of what it means for learners to be computationally-literate in the 21st century. Currently, three framings for promoting computational thinking in K-12 education have been proposed, emphasizing either (1) skill and competency building, (2) creative expression and participation, or (3) social justice and reflection. While each of these emphases is valuable and needed, their narrow focus can obscure important issues and miss critical transformational opportunities for empowering students as competent, creative, and critical agents. In this talk, I suggest that these framings should be seen as complimentary and suggest a move towards literacies, thereby historicizing and situating computer science with respect to broader educational concerns and providing new directions for how schools can help students to actively participate in designing their digital futures
Bio
Yasmin Kafai is the Lori and Michael Milken President’s Distinguished Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a researcher and developer of tools, communities, and materials to promote computational participation, crafting, and creativity across K-16. Her book monographs include “Connected Code: Why Children Need to Learn Programming” (The MIT Press, 2014, Chinese version by Dongbin University Press, May 2019) and editions such as the upcoming “Constructionism in Context: The Art, Theory, and Practice of Learning Designs” (2019, The MIT Press). She co-authored the 2010 "National Educational Technology Plan" for the US Department of Education and the 2018 “Priming the Computer Science Teacher Education Pump” reports. Kafai earned a doctorate in education from Harvard University while working with Seymour Papert at the MIT Media Lab. She is an elected fellow of the American Educational Research Association and the International Society for the Learning Sciences.