Lighting Up Learning: Teachers' Pedagogical Approaches for Mak(e)ing Computing Culturally Responsive in Electronic-Textiles Classrooms

This article identifies and analyzes computer science educators' culturally responsive approaches to teaching an electronic-textiles curricular unit in their high school classes. By examining surveys, interviews, and weekly reflections from 17 teachers, this qualitative study reports how learning about electronic-textiles, and then teaching this curricular unit to students, enabled teachers to better support their learners through empathy, relationships, and a new appreciation for students' home and cultural knowledge. We find that educators honored expertise not typically valued in computer science, brokered rich, authentic interactions with students in and outside of class, strengthened school-home connections, and uplifted students who had not felt successful in computing environments before.