Department of Computer Science

This paper describes the development and implementation of a yearlong integrated English Language Arts (ELA) and computational thinking (CT) curriculum that has been adapted to meet the needs of multilingual students. The integration of computational thinking into K-12 literacy instruction has only been examined in a handful of studies, and little is known about how such integration supports the development of CT for multilingual students. We conducted a qualitative case study on curricular implementation in a general education classroom with large numbers of students designated as English learners. Results from detailed field notes revealed that the strategic application of instructional practices was implemented in the service of building on students' existing literacy skills to teach CT concepts and dispositions. The CT and literacy framework put forth in this study can be used as an analytic framework to highlight how instructional strategies mobilize the existing literacy and CT resources of linguistically diverse students. Based on our findings, we discuss recommendations for future integrated ELA-CT curricula.

Computational thinking is an essential skill for full participation in society in today’s world (Wing, 2006). Yet there has been little discussion about the teaching and learning of computational thinking to English learners. In this paper, we first review what computational thinking is, why it is important in education, and the particular challenges faced in teaching computational thinking to speakers of English as a second language. We then discuss some approaches for addressing these challenges, giving examples from two recent K–12 initiatives in which we have been involved.