Day 1
01 Intro 02 CSD Overview 03 Break 04 ML 1: U1L3 05 Tools and Strategies 06 Lunch 07 ML 2: U1L7 08 Tools and Strategies 09 Lesson Assignments 10 Break 11 Lesson Planning 12 Wrap Up 13 Fac. Debrief
Day 2
14 Intro 15 ML 3: U2L2 16 Tools and Strategies 17 Break 18 Lesson Planning 19 Lunch 20 ML 4: U2L3 21 Break 22 Tools and Strategies 23 TLO 1: U2L5 24 Wrap Up 25 Fac. Debrief
Day 3
26 Intro 27 Understanding Context 28 TLO 2: U2L6 29 Break 30 TLO 3: U2L9 31 Lunch 32 TLO 4: U2L11 33 Classroom Culture 34 Break 35 TLO 5: U2L16 36 Wrap Up 37 Fac. Debrief
Day 4
38 Intro 39 Bias and Responsibility 40 Unit 3 Intro 41 Break 42 TLO 6: U3L2 43 TLO 7: U3L3 44 Lunch 45 Differentiation 46 TLO 8: U3L4 47 Break 48 Content Wrap Up 49 Barriers, Opportunities, and Commitments 50 Wrap Up 51 Fac. Debrief
Day 5
52 Intro 53 Prep for the Year 54 Assessment 55 Break 56 Revisit Topics 57 Community 58 Lunch 59 Planning 60 Closing Ceremonies 61 End Early & Friday Facilitator Debrief

Session 27: Understanding Context

50 minutes

discussion-based

Purpose

This session is designed for participants to begin to understand their context related to equity in CS education. Participants will use data to explore who has access to CS both nationally and within their home state. They will then discuss systemic barriers that limit access, diversity, and inclusion in CS education.

Objectives

  • Use a shared definition for access, diversity, inclusion, equity, and “students from underrepresented groups” in the context of CS education
  • Recognize disparities by race and gender in access, diversity, and inclusion in CS education nationally
  • Identify systemic barriers that limit access, diversity, and inclusion in CS education
  • List strategies to gather data (quantitative and qualitative) about access, diversity, and inclusion in CS courses locally (within school and classroom)

Supplies & Prep

Room Setup:

  • Participants are seated in pods

Facilitator Supplies and Prep:

Teacher Materials:

  • Computers
  • Journal

Agenda

Equitable Participation (5 minutes)

Data Exploration (30 minutes)

Systemic Barriers (15 minutes)

Facilitation Guide

Equitable Participation (5 minutes)

(1 minute) Context Setting

Remarks

Yesterday, the focus of our conversation about equity in CS education was focused on inclusion. Today we will expand this conversation to include access and diversity as we focus on understanding the context of who has access to CS education in our country and schools.

(4 minutes) Establishing Common Language

Facilitator Tip

It is important that participants understand that access, diversity, and inclusion are three separate topics that fall under the umbrella of equity. The terms should not be used interchangeably as they mean different things. It might be helpful to recreate this graphic on a poster to be displayed in the room for the remainder of the workshop.

The facilitator displays the “Equitable participation in computing education” graphic and highlights the definitions of access, diversity, and inclusion. The facilitator also points out that access, diversity, and inclusion are all components of equity. In our effort to work towards equity in CS education, we must consider all three components.

Data Exploration (30 minutes)

(15 minutes) Local Data

The facilitator uses slides to highlight the data participants will use to address the question “Who has access to CS in our state?”.

Facilitator Tip

Availability of data varies by region and is often focused on high school data. Consider checking with your regional partner to see if your region has access to local data specific to middle schools. Some regions might have access to local district demographics that could be informative for this reflection. Facilitators may choose to incorporate additional data if it is available.

The facilitator will need to update the slides to reflect state specific data using information from https://advocacy.code.org/stateofcs.

Facilitator Tip

Consider sharing the slide deck or a link to the state summary page for participants to refer back to when answering the reflection questions. Try to let participants draw their own conclusions about who has access. The role of the facilitator here is to present the data and allow the participants to reflect on what that data means in terms of access.

Prompt: Who has access to CS in our state? How does this compare with what I know about access to CS in my school?

  • (5 minutes) Think: individual data review and reflection
  • (2 minutes) Pair: discuss with a partner
  • (10 minutes) Share: share and discuss with the whole group

(15 minutes) National Data

Facilitator Tip

SInce there are two back to back think-pair-share activities, consider ways that you might change things up or incorporate movement depending on the needs of your cohort. You might consider changing your method for the whole group share out, have participants change partners, etc.

Participant Instructions:

Prompt: Why does this statistic stand out to you?

  • (5 minutes) Think: individual data review and reflection
  • (2 minutes) Pair: discuss with a partner
  • (10 minutes) Share: share and discuss with the whole group

Systemic Barriers (15 minutes)

(2 minutes) Context Setting

Remarks

It is crucial that in our work in CS education, we remember that CS has been a subject that has historically excluded groups of students. There is a long history of female students and students from underrepresented groups being excluded from CS. This is often a result of systemic barriers.

The facilitator uses slides to define systemic barriers

Systemic barriers: Policies, practices, or procedures that result in some people receiving unequal access or being excluded.

In CS education, examples of systemic barriers include the lack of CS offerings, scheduling conflicts, prerequisite courses, school funding and resources, lack of qualified and experienced teachers, inadequate access to technology, additional course requirements for English learners and students with disabilities, and students being pulled out from CS classes for additional services.

(13 minutes) Reflection and Discussion

(1 minute) Facilitator Modeling: Before asking participants to reflect on their experiences with systemic barriers, the facilitator will model this reflection using a personal example.

Discussion Goal

There is not a whole group share out for this discussion prompt. The purpose here is to give participants a chance to make connections to their own experiences and share that experience with at least one other person. This will prime participants for the whole group discussion using the next prompt.

Prompt: What is one systemic barrier related to access, diversity, or inclusion in CS that you have either seen the impact of or experienced yourself?

  • (2 minutes) Think: individual reflection
  • (4 minutes) Pair: discuss with a partner

Discussion Goal

This is a seed planting exercise that will be revisited during academic year workshops. For now, participants should at least have an idea for how they will start to learn more about their conext through the lens of equity. Try to push the group to think about the actual data that they will seek out. For example, they might have students take a survey. The survey is a tool to collect data. Prompt participants to think more specifically about what they might ask or hope to learn from the survey. This discussion does not need to result in a fully developed plan or commitment. That will come later.

Prompt: Throughout the school year, how might we gather data to better understand the realities of access, diversity, and inclusion in CS in our schools and classrooms?

Facilitator Instructions:

  • Open this prompt up for whole group discussion
  • (4 minutes) Compile a list of possible ways participants might work to better understand their context throughout the year
  • (2 minutes) Ask participants to make note of one step they will take to better understand access, diversity, and/or inclusion in their context as they return to their schools and classrooms