Fertile Zones of Cultural Encounter in Computer Science Education

We explain certain learning difficulties in computer science education as resulting from a clash between the students' culture as computer users and the professional computing culture. We propose the concept of fertile zones of cultural encounter as a way of overcoming these learning difficulties. This pedagogical approach aims to bridge the gap between cultures by designing interventions that are appreciated by members of both cultures, yet also guide the student to engage in the practices of the professional culture. The learning difficulties are demonstrated by a detailed analysis of episodes taken from an advanced high school computer science course in concurrency. We show that fertile zones of cultural encounter can be successful in significantly improving learning of this subject. We are indebted to Sarah Pollack for her insightful comments on this article. We would like to thank the editor and the reviewers for their extensive comments that contributed materially to improving the article.

[1]  Kris D. Gutiérrez,et al.  Cultural Ways of Learning: Individual Traits or Repertoires of Practice , 2003 .

[2]  Ann S. Rosebery,et al.  Appropriating Scientific Discourse: Findings from Language Minority Classrooms. , 1992 .

[3]  Mordechai Ben-Ari,et al.  The anthropology semaphores , 2000, ITiCSE '00.

[4]  David Labaree.  The Peculiar Problems of Preparing Educational Researchers , 2003 .

[5]  Howie Goodell,et al.  End user programming/informal programming , 1999, SGCH.

[6]  B. Simon,et al.  Multi-Institutional Computer Science Education Research: A Review of Recent Studies of Novice Understanding , 2006, Proceedings. Frontiers in Education. 36th Annual Conference.

[7]  Mordechai Ben-Ari,et al.  Principles of concurrent and distributed programming , 2005, PHI Series in computer science.

[8]  Catriel Beeri,et al.  A High School Program in Computer Science , 1995, Computer.

[9]  A. Collins,et al.  Situated Cognition and the Culture of Learning , 1989 .

[10]  David Gries.  Where is programming methodology these days? , 2002, SGCS.

[11]  Tricia Walker,et al.  Computer science , 1996, English for academic purposes series.

[12]  Elliot Soloway,et al.  Studying the Novice Programmer , 1988 .

[13]  Eric Roberts,et al.  The dream of a common language: the search for simplicity and stability in computer science education , 2004, SIGCSE '04.

[14]  Mordechai Ben-Ari,et al.  Thinking parallel: the process of learning concurrency , 1999, ITiCSE '99.

[15]  Juris Hartmanis,et al.  On computational complexity and the nature of computer science , 1995, CSUR.

[16]  A. Schoenfeld.  Learning to Think Mathematically: Problem Solving, Metacognition, and Sense Making in Mathematics (Reprint) , 2009 .

[17]  E. Wenger.  Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity , 1998 .

[18]  S. Turkle.  Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet , 1997 .

[19]  Robert S. Rist.  Program Structure and Design , 1995, Cogn. Sci..

[20]  Wolff-Michael Roth,et al.  Knowing and Interacting: A Study of Culture, Practices, and Resources in a Grade 8 Open-Inquiry Science Classroom Guided by a Cognitive Apprenticeship Metaphor , 1995 .

[21]  Yiffat Ben-David Kolikant.  Learning Concurrency as an Entry Point to the Community of Computer Science Practitioners. , 2004 .

[22]  Juris Hartmanis,et al.  Turing Award lecture on computational complexity and the nature of computer science , 1994, CACM.

[23]  L. Resnick,et al.  Knowing, Learning, and Instruction , 2018 .

[24]  Simon P. Davies,et al.  Models and Theories of Programming Strategy , 1993, Int. J. Man Mach. Stud..

[25]  Christian Holmboe.  A Wittgenstein Approach to the Learning of OO-modeling , 2004, Comput. Sci. Educ..

[26]  Mordechai Ben-aft,et al.  Constructivism in computer science education , 1998, SIGCSE '98.

[27]  Christian Holmboe,et al.  Conceptualization and Labelling as Cognitive Challenges for Students of Data Modelling , 2005, Comput. Sci. Educ..

[28]  Mary Beth Rosson,et al.  Paradox of the active user , 1987 .

[29]  D HundhausenChristopher.  Integrating algorithm visualization technology into an undergraduate algorithms course , 2002 .

[30]  Tracy Camp,et al.  After you, Alfonse: a mutual exclusion toolkit , 1996, SIGCSE '96.

[31]  K. K. Nambiar,et al.  Foundations of Computer Science , 2001, Lecture Notes in Computer Science.

[32]  Stephen H. Edwards,et al.  Using software testing to move students from trial-and-error to reflection-in-action , 2004, SIGCSE '04.

[33]  Donald E. Knuth,et al.  Computer Science and its Relation to Mathematics , 1974 .

[34]  Roger D. Boyle,et al.  A Personal Theory of Teaching Computing Through Final Year Projects , 1999, Comput. Sci. Educ..

[35]  Etienne Wenger,et al.  Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation , 1991 .

[36]  Laura M. Leventhal,et al.  Analyses of factors related to positive test bias in software testing , 1994, Int. J. Hum. Comput. Stud..

[37]  Bonnie A. Nardi,et al.  Twinkling Lights and Nested Loops: Distributed Problem Solving and Spreadsheet Development , 1991, Int. J. Man Mach. Stud..

[38]  E. Sweedyk,et al.  Computer games and CS education: why and how , 2005, SIGCSE '05.

[39]  J. Schofield.  Computers and classroom culture , 1995 .

[40]  David Strite,et al.  BACI debugger: a GUI debugger for the BACI system , 2002 .

[41]  Susan Wiedenbeck,et al.  A comparison of the comprehension of object-oriented and procedural programs by novice programmers , 1999, Interact. Comput..

[42]  Ann Rosebery,et al.  Rethinking diversity in learning science: The logic of everyday sense‐making , 2001 .

[43]  J. Roschelle,et al.  Misconceptions Reconceived: A Constructivist Analysis of Knowledge in Transition , 1994 .

[44]  Etienne Wenger,et al.  Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity , 1998 .

[45]  Christopher D. Hundhausen,et al.  Integrating algorithm visualization technology into an undergraduate algorithms course: ethnographic studies of a social constructivist approach , 2002, Comput. Educ..

[46]  Yifat Ben-David Kolikant.  Gardeners and Cinema Tickets: High School Students' Preconceptions of Concurrency , 2001, Comput. Sci. Educ..

[47]  A. Sfard.  On Two Metaphors for Learning and the Dangers of Choosing Just One , 1998 .

[48]  Linda McIver,et al.  Research Agenda for Computer Science Education , 2001, PPIG.

[49]  B. Brown,et al.  Discursive identity: Assimilation into the culture of science and its implications for minority students , 2004 .

[50]  Mordechai Ben-Ari,et al.  Situated Learning in Computer Science Education , 2004, Comput. Sci. Educ..

[51]  Donald E. Knuth,et al.  Algorithmic Thinking and Mathematical Thinking , 1985 .

[52]  Yifat Ben-David Kolikant,et al.  Learning concurrency: evolution of students' understanding of synchronization , 2004, Int. J. Hum. Comput. Stud..

[53]  Janet Rountree,et al.  Learning and Teaching Programming: A Review and Discussion , 2003, Comput. Sci. Educ..