Great project, Maya and team!! I love the RPP component. The video said that each teacher figures out what works for them. This makes sense and is how classrooms typically work but how do you support every teacher in figuring it out for themselves? I know UDL helps but it is still just a framework or a good idea until it gets put into practice. One man in the video mentions he is responsible for 1.9M students. That requires many, many teachers to figure  out what works for them. I guess the scope of the project feels a bit overwhelming to me as an outsider. Regardless, awesome, innovative work!

Thanks Kara. The issue of how to reach teachers in a way that helps them individualize for their learners is one of our major problems of practice. The approach we are taking is to focus on state and district leaders who will apply the professional development resources that we develop within their own instructional settings. For example, in NYC, instructional coaches will apply these materials in their PD while in other contexts, these same PD materials will be customized. It definitely won't solve the problem you described, but by the end of this project, we will at least have resources that can be leveraged to support teachers. Follow up grants will focus more on teacher implementation rather than on PD material development in order to close this loop. 

Hi Kevin, I'm glad that you enjoyed the video! This is a great question. One way that UDL can be thought of is as a framework for designing instruction, so there are many, many design insights. That said, a couple insights stick out from some of our recent research. Considering ways to support things like executive functions (ie. checklists, planners), persistence (ie. explicitly teaching debugging strategies, practicing strategies for managing frustration), and sustained engagement (ie. integrating choice, providing options for collaboration), can be game changers. These are all skills that effect students' experience of CS and attitudes about CS in addition to their learning. Another design consideration is to make space to think about potential barriers for individual students in each lesson, then select UDL guidelines that directly address these barriers. Teachers who are new to UDL, often feel pressure to address every single UDL checkpoint in each lesson. It's not just less overwhelming, but it's better practice when planning is more targeted. 

Thank you Meg. I think it is interesting that these insights range from things that apply to other STEM disciplines (e.g., collaboration, choice) and some that are pretty specific to CS (e.g., debugging). I like your point about managing frustration--based on personal experience, CS invites a particular kind of frustration so I can see the need to address that head on and in a way that could be unique to CS. 

Hi! Thank you so much for this thoughtful question. When creating CS content, think of material that is flexible- is there student choice? is there a variety of mediums (both plugged and unplugged) for students to engage with? And like any content area, begin with the end in mind- at the end of the lesson, what would you like the students to accomplish? Working backwards helps educators think through how to scaffold lessons appropriately for all types of learners. I hope this helps!

All of this! I also wanted to add that as a content creator, as you incorporate the ideas that Alexis laid out above, you may want to think about ways that you can raise teacher awareness about your design decisions. With premade content, teachers often feel constricted, so explicitly giving them ideas about how they might offer choice or adapt materials to meet their needs of their individual students can be very empowering. It may help them recognize where they are already practicing UDL and build their confidence for planning in this way if it is new to them. 

Thanks Julie. :) 

Thanks for the question Wendy. The RPP process has been really interesting. We basically have monthly meetings with our large group of practice partners. We also ask for insight through surveys from our practice partners, summarize the collective thought, then reflect collaboratively on everyone's priorities, needs, etc. If we do a good job with this project, we will have a collective body of researchers and practitioners that not only are committed to inclusion in CS education, but also have a shared vision for how to move towards more inclusive CS education. We are hopefully creating materials that are useful and relevant to everyone on this project. 

Thanks Mark. I am so thankful for the folks with whom I get to work on this project. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the practice partners on this project are not only local experts but are nationally known for their wealth of knowledge but the impact of their work on students, teachers, and administrators. Their contribution to the research efforts cannot be overstated. 

Hi Satabdi. Great question. Honestly, since we are still early in the project, we don't have many lessons learned about supporting students in different geographic populations. Next year, I'm hoping to have a better answer for you. :) 

Thank you Christine for this important question. At our first meeting, we all participated in a priority mapping activity around one of the main goals/questions of "What shared priorities to encourage inclusion in K-8 Computer Science Education?" Each practice partner contributed and from there we developed "buckets" to inform our work centered around our shared priorities. We also had each practitioner and researcher share their individual skills that they were bringing to the project so we can leverage the existing work to share across these incredible partnerships. What makes the work of  UDL4CS so important is truly including the voices, practices, and resources from all partners to make a broader impact on the CSEd community. 

The priority mapping exercise sounds quite interesting.  Are there resources or guidelines that could be shared (or are online) for the process you utilized?  I think this would be a great exercise for any process where different groups are trying to collaborate.

Yes! This website has been incredibly helpful in getting the partnership conversation off the ground: 

https://rpp.wtgrantfoundation.org/resource-archive/value-mapping-an-activity-for-surfacing-power-dynamics-and-diverse-perspectives-in-research-practice-collaborations/

Thanks Cathy for your statement and question about student/family/community voices. This is an area that we have not yet addressed in this project although we acknowledge the importance of doing so. Our project started in January and thus far, we have focused on strengthening the partnerships between the practice and research partners. I will bring your statement to our meetings as I agree that families are critical for student success in CS education, sense of belonging in CS, etc. and if we don't address it, it is a lost opportunity. 

Maya - thanks for your thoughtfulness in response and for the work as it moves forward. Can't wait to see what you all learn!

Cathy