Teacher Perspectives on a Narrative-Centered Learning Environment to Promote Computationally-Rich Science Learning through Digital Storytelling

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Authors

Jennifer Houchins, North Carolina State University, United States ; Kimkinyona Cully, WestEd, United States ; Danielle Cadieux Boulden, Kevin Oliver, Andy Smith, James Minogue, Bradford Mott, North Carolina State University, United States ; Rasha Elsayed, Aleata Hubbard Cheuoua, Cathy Ringstaff, WestEd, United States

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference, Mar 29, 2021 in Online, United States ISBN 978-1-939797-55-1

Abstract

Elementary school teachers are increasingly looking to incorporate computational thinking (CT) into their practice. Unlike middle and high school where CT is often integrated into a single subject, elementary school teachers have the unique opportunity to integrate CT across multiple content areas. However, there is little research on the in-platform supports elementary teachers need to accomplish this integration successfully. To investigate this integration, we are iteratively developing a narrative-centered learning environment to facilitate learning outcomes in physical science via the creation of digital narratives that elicit CT. The learning environment enables students to use their science understanding to propose a solution to a problem through story creation using custom narrative-centered programming blocks that set a story’s scene, selects characters, and controls the story’s unfolding dialogue and actions. We have engaged with four upper elementary teachers to gather their perspectives on the usability of the learning environment and input on future design iterations. In this paper, we report results from a focus group study with the teachers that examines their perceptions on whether and how the learning environment facilitates story creation and if the learning environment provides learning supports for integrated science, language arts, and CT. Initial results suggest that teachers found the environment to be engaging and supportive of students’ creativity.

Citation

Houchins, J., Cully, K., Cadieux Boulden, D., Oliver, K., Smith, A., Minogue, J., Mott, B., Elsayed, R., Hubbard Cheuoua, A. & Ringstaff, C. (2021). Teacher Perspectives on a Narrative-Centered Learning Environment to Promote Computationally-Rich Science Learning through Digital Storytelling. In E. Langran & L. Archambault (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 35-40). Online, United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved March 28, 2024 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/219110.