Day 1
01 Welcome 02 Intro to CSP 03 Break 04 Course & Exam 05 Previously on... 06 Model Lesson #1: U1L2 07 Lunch 08 Model Lesson #2: U1L3 09 Break 10 Binary Number Systems 11 Plugged and Unplugged Lessons 12 Understanding the Lesson 13 Wrap-up
Day 2
14 The Teacher's Role 15 Role in Assessment 16 Break 17 Implementation Plan 18 TLO #1: U1L7 19 Previously on... 20 Lunch 21 TLO #2: U1L9 22 Break 23 TLO #3: U1L10 24 Unit 1 - Connections 25 Assessment 26 Wrap Up
Day 3
27 Ourselves & Our Position 28 Break 29 Previously, On… Unit 2 30 TLO #4: U2L2 31 TLO #5: U2L3 32 Lunch 33 Addressing Unconscious Bias 34 Break 35 TLO #6: U2L4 36 Unit 2 Connections 37 Identity and Bias 38 Wrap-up
Day 4
39 Recruiting & Retaining Students 40 Break 41 Previously, On...Unit 3 42 TLO #7: U3L2 43 Previously, on… U3L3 - 4 44 Lunch 45 TLO #8: U3L6 46 Break 47 Previously on… U3L7 48 Model Lesson #3: U3L8 49 Unit 3 Connections 50 Belonging and Differentiation 51 Wrap Up
Day 5
52 Mapping Equity 53 Values and Assessment 54 Break 55 Assessment Approach 56 Code.org Platform 57 Lunch 58 AP Scavenger Hunt 59 Planning Your Year 60 Closing Ceremonies

Session 37: Applying our knowledge of identity and bias

35 minutes

discussion-based

Purpose

Earlier in the day participants spent time considering how identity and unconscious bias impact their classroom and teaching practice. This scenario is intended to provide participants with a space to apply their learning about bias, identity, and inclusion to an every day classroom scenario.

Objectives

  • Participants can describe how their identity, experiences, and beliefs shape how they see their role as a computer science teacher.
  • Participants can describe the influence they have over culture and student success in a computer science classroom.

Supplies & Prep

Room Setup:

  • None.

Facilitator Supplies and Prep:

Participant Materials:

  • Notebooks

Agenda

Identity and Classroom Scenarios (35 minutes)

Facilitation Guide

Identity and Classroom Scenarios (35 minutes)

(17 minutes) Scenario

Remarks

(1 minute) Set-up: This morning we have talked about identity and unconscious bias and the role these things may play in our classroom. At the same times we know the classroom is somewhat of a hectic place and there are many decisions you are making at any given time as a teacher. We are going to take a look at a scenario from a CSP classroom and consider it from the lens of inclusion. This scenario might look very ordinary to you, and that is okay. Our purpose here is to:

  • Slow down everyday classroom interactions. So much happens in a classroom every minute. In this scenario you will be able to look at these interactions with additional time to analyze and reflect on them.
  • View classroom interactions through a lens of inclusion.
  • Consider how our biases, identities, and experiences shape our role in a computer science classroom as teachers.

As we engage in this scenario, we will ask that you practice our “expect and expect non-closure” norm. We know you will want more information about the students and the class in this scenario. Wanting that is fine, but right now this is all the information we have so during this conversation a comment you are not allowed to say is that “I need more information”. This specific phrase is off the table for our session today.

(2 minutes) Review Context (in slides)

This situation takes place three days into the class. You will see three students interacting with one another during the Circle-Square lesson. These students are:

  • James: James is a white male Senior who you had last year in pre-calc. In your class last year James earned high grades and mostly turned in his work on time. He tended to be a bit more of a “follower” when it came to group work in pre-calc.
  • Simone: Simone is a Black female student who is also a Senior. You just met her this year.
  • Miranda: Miranda is Latina female student and a Junior. You coached her on the track team for the last two years and finally convinced her to take CSP. You don’t know her much as a student in the classroom, but on the track team she is one of your fastest runners and someone the team looks up to.

Facilitator Tip

We strongly recommend that participants do not act this out as a group. While we have done this in the past, we have found that when participants act out a scenario it runs the risk of inadvertently perpetuating stereotypes or influencing others' perceptions of the scene. To avoid that, we suggest participants read it silently to themselves.

(3 minutes) Try it!

Remarks

In the class, you have introduced the idea of “patterns” and places and together you talked about how there are four different patterns if you have just two places. Students are about to work in groups to list all possible three place value patterns, but with an added focus on the order of their patterns.

These three students have been given one set of manipulatives and are placed in a group to accomplish this task. As you observe the group you overhear the following conversation. (Pause to let people read the dialogue silently to themselves)

  • Simone: Takes out the manipulatives from the bag and starts re-arranging them.
  • James: Is writing down something on the paper
  • Miranda: Should we start by adding on to what we did with two patterns?
  • James: The answer is 16.
  • Miranda: How did you get that?
  • James: 2 times 2 times 2. It is combinatorics - I remember it from stats.

Facilitator Tip

We are starting at a very low level of analysis here - we want participants to just describe what they see. A participant might say “James knows the most in the group” - that is more analysis than we are looking for in this first prompt. If a participant goes this direction, encourage them to describe what they saw in the interaction that made them say that. A good redirect question is “What did you notice in this interaction to make you think X?” For the second prompt “What group norms and/or values do you see being developed in this interaction?”, there is no right answer. Each person will come to their own description and that is fine. This interpretation is based on a variety of factors including individuals’ own experiences and biases.

(9 minutes) Pause scenario for reflection

(5 minutes) Full group discussion:

  • What do you notice in this scenario? (See facilitator tip)
  • What group norms and/or values do you see being developed in this interaction?

Facilitator Tip

Remind participants that the phrase “I need more information” is not allowed in this conversation at this point. They should interpret the scene with the information they do have. You might need to remind participants of this frequently during these conversations.

(2 minutes) Individual reflection:

  • Would you intervene in this group as the teacher?
    • If so, what would be your goal for intervening?
    • If not, why not? What concerns do you have about intervening?

(2 minutes) Individual reflection: At this point, you decide not to intervene. What do you anticipate will happen next in this scenario?

(2 minutes) The conversation continues

Again, allow participants time to read this interaction silently.

  • Miranda (to James): Where did 2 come from?
  • Simone: The directions say we are supposed to list them out.
  • Miranda: That is what the directions say, I think we should start with all circles like we did when we just had two places. Miranda draws three circles on the first line of her paper.
  • Simone: Puts aside the manipulatives and draws three circles on her paper.
  • Simone: Then we can do all squares next, like we did before with two shapes.
  • Miranda: That sounds right. Both Miranda and Simone draw out all squares on the next line
  • James: Writes down the numbers 1-16 on the paper and starts filling in rows with shapes. You notice he is on row 8.
  • Miranda: I guess we can do two squares and one circle next…
  • Simone: Sure. Then two circles and one square…

(18 minutes) Facilitator-Led Debrief

Question Discussion Goal
(2 minutes) Would you as the teacher intervene in this situation at all?

If no:
  • Why not?
  • What would you hope to see next in the scenario to know that NOT intervening was the right choice?
  • What would you see or hear to make you consider intervening?
If yes:
  • When would you intervene?
  • What would your goals be when you intervene?
  • What would you say/do?
  • How do you anticipate students responding to your intervention?

(7 minutes) Full group share out		 The goal here is to consider what power the teacher has to influence classroom culture. Once again, as a teacher you make split-second decisions in the classroom. The point here is to slow down this decision making process and think about how and why teachers are making decisions. In reality, we know no teacher spends 2 minutes deciding to intervene or not. Again, our identities and experiences will influence our decisions in the classroom - this is one type of decision that may be impacted by our identities and experiences.
(2 minutes) Think back to the aspects of your identity you shared earlier and how those identities shaped your experiences as a learner and as a person.
  • How have your identity, experiences or biases impacted your interpretation of the norms or values in the group you observed?
  • How did your identity, experiences, or biases impact your decision to intervene?

(6 minutes) Full group share out.		 This is designated time to focus on the relationship between identity and experiences to our understanding of our classrooms and our decisions we make in classrooms. We want to hear that different participants made different decisions or drew different conclusions because, in part, they had different experiences and identities that informed their perceptions of the scenario.

Facilitator Tip

It may be helpful to model how participants answer these questions as well as model what vulnerability looks like. For example, you might say “I saw this interaction as insert adjective, because as a insert an aspect of your identity here who has experienced insert an experience here.”

See facilitator note.

Remarks

(1 minute) As a teacher, you are making many choices simultaneously. Sometimes those choices are based on the misconceptions students might have about the content and other times it might be purely based on a classroom management decision. In this scenario, we wanted to slow down the everyday decisions you make and take an equity lens to these decisions. We know in reality you would never spend this much time deciding to intervene in a class and examine how identity and bias might play a role in this decision. But that’s why we wanted to practice taking this lens to this every day situation together. It is important to recognize that you do have a responsibility and a role in creating an inclusive classroom culture. Likewise, it is important to understand that your identities and experiences inform your understanding of the interactions in your classroom.