Computer science is an exciting area that can provide educational and vocational opportunities for your students. There are a growing number of teaching resources being developing to introduce K-12 students to computer science and computational thinking, but very few of them incorporate culturally responsive approaches for introducing this content to Native American students. Our Research-Practitioner Partnership is committed to addressing this gap through professional development and reciprocal learning opportunities.
We are inviting Native American educators who have experience working with 3rd-5th grade Native American students using culturally responsive teaching techniques to join teachers from Killip Elementary School who have been developing new computer science curriculum for fifth grade students.
This will be a small workshop with 6-8 teacher participants total, making it a safe and friendly place to learn about computer science and to share your expertise about best practices for culturally-responsive teaching.
The workshop will be facilitated by Morgan Vigil-Hayes, a computer science professor at NAU and her graduate students.
While we will be tailoring specifics of the content based on the interests of participants, here is a tentative agenda for the first workshop.
Saturday
10:00-11:00am Introductions and overview with coffee and snacks
What is computer science and why are we focusing on culturally
responsive computer science for Native American students?
11:00-12:00pm What does culturally responsive teaching and learning look like for Native American students?
Moderated conversation that focuses on strengths, values, and challenges.
12:00-1:00pm Lunch
1:00-3:00pm Breakout Groups: Modify a Computer Science Lesson
Conference facilitator will teach a fourth grade computer science lesson based on existing curriculum (TBD). We will break into groups of two to modify the lesson to align with culturally responsive teaching best practices we identified together.
3:00-3:30pm Break
3:30-5pm Share Modified Lessons and Reflect
5:00-6:30pm Dinner
Sunday
7:30-8:00am Breakfast
8:00-9:00am Reflection and Planning for the Next Workshop
We will reflect on the process of modifying and sharing our lessons with each other. We will make a plan for what we want to focus on during the next workshop and what we plan to work on/reflect on in the weeks between to bring back to share with the group.
9:00-10:00am Survey Collection
Just bring yourself, whatever you use to take notes, and a laptop.
Saturday: 10am-6:30pm
Sunday: 8am-10am
Both workshops will take place in Flagstaff, AZ at Northern Arizona University.
For participants attending from out of town, we will plan to book hotel rooms for you for Saturday evening at one of the hotels adjacent to campus.
Computer science is a rapidly growing area with many career and education opportunities for Americans. While computer science provides many exciting opportunities, Native Americans are underrepresented in computer science programs and jobs. As a team, we see computer science knowledge as an important asset for individuals, communities, and sovereignty and we would like to see more Native American students empowered to learn computer science.
By participating in this workshop series, you will:
Learn about some of the resources used to teach computer science at the K-5 level
Meet and network with other teachers in the region who are interested in computer science and culturally responsive teaching to form a professional community of support
Learn about regional opportunities to continue learning about computer science education
Develop a culturally responsive computer science lesson you can take back to teach to your students
Receive a CSTA+ Membership to help continue your CS professional development and a $250 participant stipend per workshop attended.