Gail Chapman

Bio: Gail Chapman is an academic researcher from University of California, Los Angeles. The author has contributed to research in topics: Professional development & Science education. The author has an hindex of 7, co-authored 18 publications receiving 480 citations. Previous affiliations of Gail Chapman include Princeton University.

Curriculum is not enough: the educational theory and research foundation of the exploring computer science professional development model

Abstract: In recent years, the computer science education community has shown strong commitment to broadening participation in computing in K-12 classrooms. Educational research highlights the critical role of professional development in supporting teachers to attract and effectively teach underrepresented students in computing. In this paper we present the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) professional development model and the research on which it is based. We also present findings about the impact of ECS professional development on teachers' practice. As computing education initiatives become increasingly concerned with scaling up from a regional to a nationwide presence, it is important to consider how the essential components of effective professional development can drive this reform.

Beyond curriculum: the exploring computer science program

Abstract: ➧1 In the past few decades, computer science has driven innovation across a variety of academic fields and become a robust part of democratic participation and the labor economy. Today’s youth are surrounded with applications of these new technologies that affect how they access and produce information and communicate with friends, family, and educators. Yet, though students often gain skills as “users” of these technologies in schools, too many have been denied opportunities to study computer science and produce new knowledge required to become “creators” of computing innovations. The students who do study computer science courses often represent only a narrow band of students that excludes significant numbers of girls and students of color. Further, for a field that depends on creativity, a homogenous workforce fails to take advantage of those with diverse experiences and world viewpoints that likely foster divergent and fresh thinking. This article will provide an overview of Exploring Computer Science (ECS), a curriculum and program developed to broaden participation in computing for high school students in the Los Angeles Unified School District. This program is framed around a three-pronged approach to reform: curricular development, teacher professional development, and policy work across a variety of educational institutions. The focus is to provide the necessary structures and support to schools and teachers that leads to high quality teaching and learning in computer science classrooms. In ECS classrooms, high quality teaching and learning is viewed within the frame of inquiry-based teaching strategies that lead to deep student content learning and engagement. The incorporation of equity-based teaching practices is an essential part of setting up the classroom culture that facilitates inquiry-based learning. As the second largest and one of the most diverse districts in the United States, the Los Angeles Unified School District provides an important context to understand opportunities and obstacles encountered while engaging in institutional K-12 computer science education reform. This article will begin with an account of the educational research that provided key information about the obstacles students encounter in computer science classrooms. Next, we will describe the key elements of the ECS program. Finally, we will highlight several lessons that we have learned that inform the CS 10K campaign (see Jan Cuny’s Critical Perspective “Transforming High School Computing: A Call to Action”, this issue).

Beyond access: broadening participation in high school computer science

Abstract: Broadening participation” and “equity” are now common parlance among computer science reform educators who are challenging the underrepresentation in computer science. However, what do we all mean by these words and phrases? In this article, we discuss the key theoretical components of our strategy for broadening participation and increasing equity in computer science education. We do so through a description of our goals of our Exploring Computer Science program—a K-12/university collaboration between Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). For us, broadening participation goes beyond issues of access to computer science (CS) learning; we also must transform CS classroom culture and teaching in ways that engage and deepen how diverse students learn. High standards for learning and equity are two foundational elements that must be coupled together. Our mission goes beyond the “pipeline” issue of who ends up majoring in CS in college. Rather, our mission is to democratize CS learning and assure that all students have access to CS knowledge. In today’s world, this knowledge is a critical part of being an educated citizen1 and being qualified for 21st century opportunities across a growing number of fields and professions.

An equity lens for scaling: a critical juncture for exploring computer science

Abstract: The computer science education community has been on a wild ride recently. After decades of feeling like we were speaking to the wall, today numerous non-profits, industry, state and national politicians, policy makers, school districts, social media, and parents are beginning to pay attention and speak out of the need for more access to K-12 computer science education and for broadening participation in computing. As we write this article, a steady beat of news media has been covering the lack of diversity in technology and why computer science education is critically important. Even politicians are getting into the act. Broadening participation in computing has gone from being underthe-radar to being a presidential topic of attention. And along with this increase of attention have come opportunities to expand and scale up educational programs. Exploring Computer Science (ECS) is one of the programs that has expanded and scaled in the last five years. And, with this growth, come new questions, pressures, and challenges. We write this article at a time when we are reflecting on these challenges and questioning how we assure that the ECS mission of equity and democratizing computer science knowledge for all students remains strong. We begin the article with a brief summary of Exploring Computer Science development and expansion. We then review a part of our early history that exemplifies how numbers are often the first indicator of success in broadening participation, yet numbers can also be superficial and misleading. We follow this with a discussion of what we need to learn now, the challenges before us, and how we measure programmatic success. We hope that the questions posed in this article will be useful for the larger community and for programs that are also beginning to scale, whether they are ECS, Computer Science Principles, or other curricular efforts to broaden participation in computing.

That classroom 'magic'

Abstract: Effective teaching practices for broadening participation in computer science.

To block or not to block, that is the question: students' perceptions of blocks-based programming

Abstract: Blocks-based programming tools are becoming increasingly common in high-school introductory computer science classes. Such contexts are quite different than the younger audience and informal settings where these tools are more often used. This paper reports findings from a study looking at how high school students view blocks-based programming tools, what they identify as contributing to the perceived ease-of-use of such tools, and what they see as the most salient differences between blocks-based and text-based programming. Students report that numerous factors contribute to making blocks-based programming easy, including the natural language description of blocks, the drag-and-drop composition interaction, and the ease of browsing the language. Students also identify drawbacks to blocks-based programming compared to the conventional text-based approach, including a perceived lack of authenticity and being less powerful. These findings, along with the identified differences between blocks-based and text-based programming, contribute to our understanding of the suitability of using such tools in formal high school settings and can be used to inform the design of new, and revision of existing, introductory programming tools.

Living and learning with new media : summary of findings from the digital youth project

Abstract: This report summarizes the results of an ambitious three-year ethnographic study, funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, into how young people are living and learning with new media in varied settings -- at home, in after school programs, and in online spaces. It offers a condensed version of a longer treatment provided in the book Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out (MIT Press, 2009). The authors present empirical data on new media in the lives of American youth in order to reflect upon the relationship between new media and learning. In one of the largest qualitative and ethnographic studies of American youth culture, the authors view the relationship of youth and new media not simply in terms of technology trends but situated within the broader structural conditions of childhood and the negotiations with adults that frame the experience of youth in the United States.The book that this report summarizes was written as a collaborative effort by members of the Digital Youth Project, a three-year research effort funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and conducted at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Southern California.John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Reports on Digital Media and Learning

A K-6 computational thinking curriculum framework: implications for teacher knowledge

Abstract: Adding computer science as a separate school subject to the core K-6 curriculum is a complex issue with educational challenges. The authors herein address two of these challenges: (1) the design of the curriculum based on a generic computational thinking framework, and (2) the knowledge teachers need to teach the curriculum. The first issue is discussed within a perspective of designing an authentic computational thinking curriculum with a focus on real-world problems. The second issue is addressed within the framework of technological pedagogical content knowledge explicating in detail the body of knowledge that teachers need to have to be able to teach computational thinking in a K-6 environment. An example of how these ideas can be applied in practice is also given. While it is recognized there is a lack of adequate empirical evidence in terms of the effectiveness of the frameworks proposed herein, it is expected that our knowledge and research base will dramatically increase over the next several years, as more countries around the world add computer science as a separate school subject to their K-6 curriculum.

Comparing Block-Based and Text-Based Programming in High School Computer Science Classrooms

Abstract: The number of students taking high school computer science classes is growing. Increasingly, these students are learning with graphical, block-based programming environments either in place of or prior to traditional text-based programming languages. Despite their growing use in formal settings, relatively little empirical work has been done to understand the impacts of using block-based programming environments in high school classrooms. In this article, we present the results of a 5-week, quasi-experimental study comparing isomorphic block-based and text-based programming environments in an introductory high school programming class. The findings from this study show students in both conditions improved their scores between pre- and postassessments; however, students in the blocks condition showed greater learning gains and a higher level of interest in future computing courses. Students in the text condition viewed their programming experience as more similar to what professional programmers do and as more effective at improving their programming ability. No difference was found between students in the two conditions with respect to confidence or enjoyment. The implications of these findings with respect to pedagogy and design are discussed, along with directions for future work.