Culturally Responsive-sustaining Computer Science Education: A Framework

Culturally Responsive-sustaining Computer Science Education: A Framework
Jared O'Leary
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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.

  • Welcome back to another episode of the CSK8 podcast.

    My name is Jared O'Leary.

    Each episode of this podcast alternates between an interview with a guest

    or multiple guests and a solo episode

    where it unpacks some scholarship in relation to computer science education.

    In this week's particular episode, I am unpacking the paper

    culturally response to Sustaining Science

    Education a framework this was developed by the Kapor Center.

    Now, this particular paper is a relatively short paper.

    It's only 14 pages and it includes six core components for developing, culturally

    sustaining, equitable and inclusive K-12 computer science classrooms.

    Now, I highly recommend that you actually read this paper.

    So what I'm going to do is list the six core components

    and then give you a teaser

    for each one of the actual things that you can do for the core components.

    To encourage you to go take a look at this.

    Now, I do include a direct link to this in the show notes,

    which you can find by clicking the link in the description

    for the app that you're listening to this on.

    Or by simply going to Jared O'Leary Econ, going to the podcast.

    If this particular podcast episode interests you, I highly recommend

    checking out the other resources on my website or by going to boot up PD org,

    which has a curriculum that I developed that uses many of these core competencies

    already within them.

    All right.

    So this particular paper starts off by discussing equitable access

    in relation to computer science as a foundational literacy.

    So here's a quote from page three quote Prioritizing equitable access

    to computer science

    will help to address racial and economic disparities in the tech sector.

    Drive creativity, innovation and problem solving.

    Prepare a diverse tech workforce to meet the future needs

    of our economy and ensure students develop core computing literacies

    while understanding social, cultural and political impacts of technology.

    And the authors note that there are many inequalities

    in computer science education that are ranging from inequalities

    around race or gender, socioeconomic status, geography, etc..

    And so they highlight some of the stats related to

    some of those different demographics or categories.

    I recommend taking a look there.

    But then they also mention on page three, quote, Access

    alone is insufficient and significant disparities remain.

    We believe that a multi-pronged approach centering racial justice is required

    to ensure meaningful participation, success and matriculation in computer

    science education for students from all demographic backgrounds.

    The close racial, gender, and socioeconomic equity gaps.

    This approach must address foundational educational disparities.

    Equitable policies at the federal, state and local levels,

    and invest deeply in the development of teachers, pedagogical practices

    and curriculum

    that reflect and sustain students, cultures, experiences and interests.

    End quote.

    So the next section of this paper mentioned

    there are two main elements in this particular framework.

    So the first one is a shared definition

    of what culturally responsive, sustaining computer science, classroom pedagogy is.

    And then the second one are the core components

    that are mentioned in a little bit. All right.

    So I'm going to read the full definition of culturally responsive

    sustaining CSS pedagogy, which is on page five,

    but culturally responsive, sustaining computer science pedagogy is situated

    within a context of racial,

    socioeconomic and gender inequality in computer science education.

    It articulates a strategy to move beyond increasing access to computer science

    courses and ensure all students have the opportunity

    to be inspired and engaged in computing education.

    Develop critical computational skills, and have equitable opportunities to pursue

    computing careers and contribute to technological innovation,

    culturally responsive and sustaining computer science Pedagogy ensures

    that students whose interests, identities and cultures are embraced and validated.

    Students develop knowledge of computing content and its utility in the world.

    Strong science identities are developed,

    and students engage in larger sociopolitical critiques

    about technology's purpose, potential and impact.

    Culturally sustaining

    computer science pedagogy includes the teachers, instructional practice,

    the curriculum, resources and activities used in the classroom,

    as well as the instructional design practices utilized by the teacher.

    Culturally responsive, sustaining computer science instruction is necessary,

    but not sufficient to achieve equity in computer science education.

    It must be implemented alongside broader solutions to dismantle racism

    and inequality in education, employment, health and the environment, all of which

    disproportionately negatively impact marginalized communities.

    End quote.

    All right.

    So now here are the core components.

    So here's all six of them from page six.

    First one is acknowledge racism in CSS and enact anti-racist practices.

    The second one is great, inclusive and equitable classroom cultures.

    The third one is pedagogy

    and curriculum are rigorous, relevant and encourage sociopolitical critiques.

    The fourth one is student voice.

    Agency and self-determination are prioritized in CSS classrooms.

    The fifth one is family and community.

    Cultural assets are incorporated into six classrooms, and the sixth one is diverse.

    Professionals and role models

    provide exposure to a range of science and tech careers.

    All right.

    So I'm going to read their definition of the core component and then read

    one of the course of actions for each one of these components.

    There are multiple courses of actions for each of these.

    So this is just a teaser because, again,

    I highly recommend you actually take a look at this.

    All right.

    So core component one note the role of racism and white supremacy

    and its manifestation in computer science education is understood and acknowledged.

    Anti-Racist practices and the decent drink of whiteness are enacted

    within computer science courses and classrooms, unquote.

    So here's a course of action that they recommend.

    Both of these are from page seven Vote.

    Educators explore their own identities racial, gender, cultural,

    ethnic, linguistic, religious, socioeconomic, etc.

    and positions of privilege and power or oppression, unquote.

    That is a course of action that I highly recommend,

    and I really appreciate that this is a core component focus on anti-racism.

    But then they also mentioned exploring other identities.

    It's very important to not just focus on one form of inequality,

    but also think of other forms of privilege or power or oppression.

    So if I were to think of the things that they mentioned, like racial,

    gender, cultural, ethnic, linguistic, religious and socioeconomic,

    some of those I am in a position of power or privilege.

    And then in some of those I am an oppressed person or a marginalized

    individual.

    And it's important

    to think about those different intersectionality

    and how, depending on the context in which you're in

    and have a different impact on whether or not you are a person

    of privilege or a person who is marginalized

    in different scenarios,

    This can then inform how you work with kids and the things that you discuss

    in your classes and the things that you share.

    So the second core component, this is also from page seven.

    Quote, Inclusive and equitable classroom cultures are co-created to cultivate

    meaningful learning experiences for students

    and ensure belonging for students from all backgrounds.

    Individual and collective identity exploration are utilized as tools

    to create inclusive classrooms, ensure belonging for all students,

    and ensure equity. End quote.

    Hey, so one of the course of actions on here

    and there are six I'm only reading one is quote Educators help students

    explore

    their identities to develop projects that reflect their passions and interests,

    end quote.

    This is a huge action that I really focused on and talked

    about in like the Affinity Space podcast and create in

    not only the free resources on my website,

    but the free resources that I create for boot up all about getting it

    so that kids can explore their passions

    and interests and share their understandings.

    That could be the forms of culture that are mentioned here, but it could also

    be other forms of culture and interest, like gaming or sports or literature

    or whatever that kids can explore in their projects.

    So this one really stood out as a course of action that resonated with me,

    but I highly recommend checking out the others.

    All right, So core component three, this is from page eight.

    Pedagogy and curriculum is rigorous, aligned to K-12,

    has standards, and high expectations are set for all students.

    Relevant is authentic to students.

    Experiences, interests and cultures, and examines current and historical socio

    political context within which CSA is situated.

    By the way, that sounds a little weird reading it,

    but if you actually look at the text, it makes a little more sense

    because this is like the dashes and whatnot.

    So sorry, that was not me misreading it.

    It just sounds weird in IYO format.

    So here's one of the four course of actions for this particular component.

    What educators support students in learning about the history

    of their respective communities, honor their ethnicities and cultures,

    and incorporate their cultures, interests and passions into the learning process,

    end quote.

    Again, this relates to the last one that I mentioned, but I love this one.

    I love the idea of bringing in your understandings

    from outside of the class where you might be an expert or a cultural bearer,

    and bringing that into the things

    that you are learning about and creating in class.

    If you're creating a scratch project pool,

    bringing your understandings and your cultures

    and your interest into that scratch project

    when you're creating it and share it with people in the rest of the class.

    All right. So core component for.

    Also from page eight.

    Quote, Student Voice Student agency and self-determination

    are valued, encouraged, and incorporated during the learning process.

    Student ideas and input

    are actively solicited from students to co-create classroom instruction.

    So here's one of the three actions that they recommend.

    Educators engage students as emerging experts to lead activities.

    Support peer to peer teaching and learning and encourage ongoing feedback, unquote.

    These are from page eight.

    I love this.

    If you listen to the Affinity Space Podcast

    or the Rise of Matic, learning discussions with Katherine Bourne, Hirst,

    Katie Henry and John Stapleton, we really talk about the importance

    of like co constructing, learning paths and whatnot with kids.

    So this really resonates with me.

    And if you haven't listened to those episodes and this component

    is of interest to you, which I hope it is.

    Check out the show notes for links to those podcasts that I just mentioned.

    All right.

    So core component five, this is from page nine.

    Quote, Families and communities and their cultures and assets are incorporated

    into the design of six curriculum classrooms and learning opportunities.

    Families and community members are intentionally set out and included

    in the construction of six classroom learning and activities include.

    And here's one of the four courses of action.

    Quote Educators align CAC content and instruction with in-school

    and out of school experiences, cultures and perspectives, end quote.

    I love the alignment with out of school in particular.

    Far too often I've seen specialist classes like a science class or a music class

    or a computer science class like exist within this bubble or a silo

    where the things do not connect

    with what you are learning and engaging with or experiencing outside of the class.

    So I love this idea of connecting with the experiences,

    the cultures, perspectives and whatnot outside of the classroom.

    So for example, in science class, the things that you're learning

    and the things that are valued and understood within that class

    might not be the things that are talked about in relation to science

    in some of the cultures that you grew up with.

    So it would be really interesting to talk about how those two can connect.

    So the last core component, this is from page nine as well,

    what a diverse variety of experts are incorporated into the classroom,

    including researchers, community members, entrepreneurs, tech leaders

    to intentionally expose students to a variety of competing professionals

    and careers.

    Specific efforts are taken to identify role models

    from diverse identities, backgrounds, careers and trajectories, unquote.

    And here's one of the four actions that they recommend

    educators

    actively seek out and recruit diverse guests and experts

    in representing underrepresented or marginalized groups in computing.

    Now, one of the things that I think is a good thing

    has come out of the hybrid and remote instruction that we've done

    is it's become much easier for finding people

    who can remotely come in and speak to students.

    So now you can find guests all around the world

    as long as time zones are permitting

    and have them zoom in to your classroom or virtually meet with your kids.

    This is a great way, especially if you're in like a like a rural community

    and you can't have people physically come to your school or have your students

    physically go to like a specific building where people work or something.

    You can have people zoom in and engage in these discussions remotely.

    So I highly recommend thinking of different ways

    that you can do that, whether it's a live like a synchronous thing

    or asynchronous by like recording a panel discussion or recording an interview

    that you do with a US educator or professional or something

    where that person is from different cultures that

    might be represented in your classroom, that you might not have experience

    or understanding of quite like somebody who is a cultural bear.

    So the rest of the paper ends with some like appendices, select

    some key terms, some references us and some resources to learn some more.

    So I highly recommend going and actually taking a look at this.

    You can find this on the Cape or Center's website,

    but you can also find this by going to the show notes.

    And I include a direct link over to this particular paper.

    Now, with each one of these unpacking scholarship episodes,

    I kind of like to end with some lingering thoughts or some questions.

    And I guess one lingering thought that I have whenever I see people

    talking about culturally relevant education ala like Gloria Ladson Billings

    for culturally responsive education, allogeneic, again,

    there is a tendency for people to focus on one culture or one demographic

    rather than acknowledging the cultural pluralism that occurs

    within those discussions on those particular topics.

    So, for example, I love the fact that race is highlighted in here

    and that they are promoting anti-racist pedagogies holding on board for that.

    If teachers were to make progress by incorporating more

    anti-racist pedagogies into the classroom, that would be amazing.

    But we can't just in there.

    We also have to talk about the other isms that need to be addressed,

    for example, sexism or the transphobia

    or some of the inequalities with socioeconomic status, etc..

    So those phobias or isms or inequalities need

    to also be discussed in relation to the core components in here.

    But that being said, how you implement this is really up to you.

    So you could implement it by focusing on, Hey, we're really going to focus on

    socioeconomic status and really try and improve that in our classroom

    for this next quarter and the next quarter.

    We're really going to build off of that and try and focus on

    racism that might be occurring and really hone in on that.

    So basically treating these as like units,

    that might be one approach that you might use those pros and cons of that,

    but that's one approach.

    Another approach might be we're going to talk

    about all of these in relation to what is most relevant

    in that particular moment or unit or lesson or specific project, etc..

    That's another way of looking at this.

    And there are pros and cons to any of the approaches that you end up using.

    But the thing that I'm just encouraging is don't just focus on one,

    because while you might focus on anti-racist practices,

    which is great, what about the trans individuals in your classroom?

    Or what about the kids who are low socioeconomic status,

    who don't have internet, don't have devices at home, etc.?

    Or what about the kids who don't speak English

    as their first language or don't speak it at all yet?

    Like, these are all forms of inequality that need to be addressed

    and these components can assist with that.

    So my larger point being, I love this framework.

    I just give the caution of make sure you're looking at this broadly,

    like through a kaleidoscope

    rather than through a microscope where you focus on just one thing

    because there are many forms of marginalization

    and intersecting forms of marginalization and privilege that might be occurring

    within your particular classroom that you're working on. All right.

    So that rant is over.

    Anyways, I again really like this particular framework.

    I hope you go in and take the time to read this.

    You can find the show notes by going to Journal AirCon

    and checking out the hundreds of free resources on that website,

    if not thousands, or by sharing both this podcast

    and the paper to other CSC educators who might not be aware of it.

    Thank you so much for listening to this particular episode.

    Stay tuned.

    Next week for another interview

    and the following week for another unpacking scholarship episode.

    I hope you're all staying safe and are having a wonderful week.

Description

“The Kapor Center is pleased to share the latest resource reflecting our commitment to high quality and equitable learning experiences for all students in K12 computer science education – Culturally Responsive-Sustaining CS Education: A Framework. This framework is intended to guide teacher preparation and professional development, curriculum development, and policies for developing a robust pipeline of CS teachers, to ultimately ensure greater adoption of culturally sustaining practices within computer science classrooms, close equity gaps in computer science, and improve the outcomes of historically marginalized students in computer science education. It is our intention that this framework will help to move the needle and create new opportunities in the field.”

My One Sentence Summary

This framework describes multiple courses of action for six core components of culturally responsive-sustaining CS education.

Some Of My Lingering Questions/Thoughts

  • What isms, phobias, or inequalities exist within the communities you work in?

    • How might this framework assist with thinking through and dismantling them?

Resources/Links Relevant to This Episode

More Content

Unpacking ScholarshipJared O'LearyCulturally-relevant pedagogy/curricula, Equity, Culturally responsive-sustaining pedagogyComment