Great question, Jennie! What we are trying to do is make apparent to students as they do the physics/engineering tasks the problem solving skills they use in computational thinking (decomposition, abstraction, pattern recognition, algorithmic thinking, evaluation, debugging, communication, use-modify-create) and even some problem generating skills (like questioning given assumptions). Then, as they move from creating circuits on a breadboard to using an Arduino and programming it for their own project, we make sure we keep the metacognitive process going. The idea is to demonstrate the versatility of computational thinking and for students to become more aware of how computers can address the problems and ideas they have in their life.

Thanks, Amy! Yes, we totally agree! We think that the computational thinking practices of the core practices could not happen without the communicating, collaborating, and inclusivity practices.

Hi Ben! We are measuring affect and interest in physics and CS/CT through pre- and post-surveys. In the first summer academy, we measured physics (and some CT problem solving skills) through a pre- and post-test, which was taken both written and orally (to see if there was any difference between students abilities in writing out their problem solving and talking out their problem solving). We are looking at student notebooks and worksheets for instances of CT, and finally, we are observing the sessions to call out moments of CT (or moments missed). Needless to say, we are wading through lots of data, and are still getting through it all!

Good luck! Looking forward to your findings.

Hi, Shuchi! No, our formative assessments are still in very preliminary stages, and I'm not sure how helpful they'd be in the state they're in now. Hoping to get them shaped up in the next few months! Because it was important for us to have them embedded, they are closely tied to the activities themselves, so there are lots of moving parts we have to get right. 

Great question, Art! It is, in fact, a great challenge to embed maker and CS stuff into the school day. Teachers have so much they already have to do! Fortunately, the CCSS and NGSS are really focusing teachers on process, and getting students to think critically about how they get to the final product. This is a big overlap with computational thinking and the CS K-12 framework! That said, there is still a big leap of faith on the teacher's part. One of our teachers, Julie, wrote a really great blog post the other day about her experience implementing our making and CT activities in her AP Physics class.

Frankly, I think you deserve the kudos as a school admin for the reason you mention! As you know, assessment frequently gets misused, and I believe a lot of it comes from our perpetual desire to understand the complexity of what is happening with a student, classroom, or school from an easy to read score. Our take is highly contextualized, embedding formative assessment questions in activities, so that teachers and students can assess where they are in the problem solving process, and determine what tools might help them. So, it's building the assessment into the project, hopefully, not adding yet another thing for teachers and admins to structure into the day. Does that answer your question?

Hi Kathryn! We'd love to talk about this. Our assessment tools are still in development, but I don't mind giving you an overview of what we have and how we're building them to see if they're of any use to you!

Great, Caitlin! Let's chat when you have the chance. We had YouMedia staff involved in developing the activities and assessments, but as you correctly guessed, there is a tension between what is needed or wanted for the informal/maker setting and what is needed or wanted for the formal/classroom setting. These are the kinds of things we've been struggling with (do we make 2 sets of activities? Or one set with a choose-your-own-adventure format?). The point is for the assessment to be used by the educators, but obviously, we researchers are looking at it to see if it even works. Another struggle right now is how to effectively embed it so that it serves the activity. One way we're doing this is through notebooks, and identifying notebooks to students as tools engineers use for ideation. Please contact me! I'd love to talk more about it.

Great to hear from you, Kim! Your work has been an inspiration to us throughout!