Strengthening Computational Thinking Within Upper Elementary Classrooms: A Strategy for Broadening Participation in Computer Science

This paper describes a research-practice partnership (RPP) in western South Dakota involving twenty 4th and 5th grade teachers and a support team of university researchers and K-12 learning specialists. For three years, the RPP has been exploring ways to strengthen computational thinking within elementary math and science instruction, attending to policy considerations and the local education landscape. The RPP is motivated in part by the hypothesis that a larger, more diverse group of students will choose to enroll in computer science courses in high school if they gain familiarity and confidence related to computational concepts at earlier grades. Feedback from participating teachers along with student attitude and problem-solving data suggest this is a promising approach.