K-12 Computer Science Education: Tracing the Past and Plotting the Future
Meeting times: Tuesday/Thursday 1-2:30 pm
Pre-reqs: Basic programming experience (6.100A or equivalent including high school courses)
Open to: Undergrad and grad students at MIT, Harvard, and Wellesley.
Units: 3-0-9
Description:
This course addresses the trajectory of advances in K-12 computer science (CS) education and prepares students to design CS educational experiences and tools. Considers influential programming languages used in schools from the 1960s to the present day. Explores the original programming languages in simulated environments to understand the context, constraints, and impact on learning and practice. Examines how design of these tools has informed the curricula and pedagogies of the past and present. Considers the challenges, opportunities, and forces influencing the design of learning experiences for K-12 students. Discusses the purpose of CS education, the audience it serves, its relationship to industry and social mobility, and its constant evolution.
Instructors:
Eric Klopfer
Sarah Wharton
Questions?
Get in touch at csforward@mit.edu.
