About 40 Queens College undergraduate TCs took Dr. Grace Pai’s methods course in the Fall 2023. There, they learned about using the language of computational thinking (CT) to help them reflect on and support problem-solving in math.
Dr. Pai and her colleague, clinical professor Michael Perrone received funding for a CITE research grant to study how and if TCs are using that language to support their teaching of math and other subjects in the field. For this, they recruited a smaller group of seven TCs who expressed interest in learning about and teaching with CT, dubbing them the “CT Cohort” at Queens.
This group of TCs were placed in the same student teaching supervision class and had some shared interests and motivations around computing and technology. In addition to learning about CT in Math methods, these students have taken an Ed Tech course where they also learned about CT. A few of these students are also ‘co-majoring’ in Math or tech fields like graphic design. Some have taken CS classes and a microcredential in the Scratch programming environment for kids.
CITE staff Sara Vogel and Indranil Choudhury caught up with this group of students as they were settling in to their student teaching field placement sites to learn more about their values and beliefs around CT, and whether and how they might be applying what they learned about CT in the field. Students provided us with permission to film them and edit their clips into videos for PD and promotional purposes.
Reflections on Integrating CT
These clips showcase TCs talking about how they’ve applied Computational Thinking in the field.
- What role(s) are CT concepts and practices playing in these TCs practice?
- What other applications of CT or other computational and digital literacies would you hope your college promotes for TCs? Why?
Why integrate computing and digital literacies?
In this clip, a TC shares a few reasons why they might want to integrate computational and digital literacies into their practice, and a few potential barriers around that vision.
During the focus group TCs shared many other rationale for CDL integration, including:
- Wanting to empower future students to take on “jobs that haven’t been created yet”
- Addressing disparities in technology access and knowledge for students of color, low income students, Multilingual Learners
- To support problem-solving
- To leverage the fact that tech is pervasive in students’ lives
- To support students with some of the “basic skills” that they will need for future learning (e.g. how to type)
- Worries and concerns about students’ use of social media and heavily “reliance” on tech for some thinking tasks
Reflection Questions:
- Any rationale for CDL integration that stood out or surprised you?
- Any rationale for CDL integration that are not covered in the videos and list, that you think are important?
- How might Teacher Educators build on their students’ rationales in their teaching?
Challenges and Opportunities of Computing Integration
In these clips, TCs express some challenges and opportunities they encounter related to computing and tech.
“It’s on the funding side”
“…if we had [CT] at the beginning, it would be easier…”
“…my kids don’t have that period…”
“…maybe I could start teaching them some skills…”
- What challenges and opportunities are TCs articulating?
- What do you notice and wonder about them
- How, if at all, did they overcome those challenges?
- What resources and mindsets are they drawing on and how?
- How might our teaching support students to take on challenges and opportunities like those?
