Computer Science Framework to Teach Community-Based Environmental Literacy and Data Literacy to Diverse Students

TL;DR

This paper presents a culturally sustaining, integrated curriculum combining environmental, data, and computer science literacy to empower diverse students, demonstrated through a successful pilot with multilingual Latinx 5th graders creating projects on local environmental issues.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, culturally responsive curriculum integrating environmental, data, and computer science education tailored for diverse learners, evaluated through a practical pilot study.

Findings

Students engaged deeply with environmental issues using coding and data visualization.

The curriculum improved environmental and data literacy among multilingual students.

Students applied skills to real community environmental challenges.

Abstract

This study introduces an integrated curriculum designed to empower underrepresented students by combining environmental literacy, data literacy, and computer science. The framework promotes environmental awareness, data literacy, and civic engagement using a culturally sustaining approach. This integrated curriculum is embedded with resources to support language development, technology skills, and coding skills to accommodate the diverse needs of students. To evaluate the effectiveness of this curriculum, we conducted a pilot study in a 5th-grade special education classroom with multilingual Latinx students. During the pilot, students utilized Scratch, a block-based coding language, to create interactive projects that showcased locally collected data, which they used to communicate environmental challenges and propose solutions to community leaders. This approach allowed students to engage with environmental literacy at a deeper level, harnessing their creativity and community knowledge in the digital learning environment. Moreover, this curriculum equipped students with the skills to critically analyze political and socio-cultural factors impacting environmental sustainability. Students not only gained knowledge within the classroom but also applied their learning to address real environmental issues within their community. The results of the pilot study underscore the efficacy of this integrated approach.