Teaching Computational Thinking with Electronic Textiles: Modeling Iterative Practices and Supporting Personal Projects in Exploring Computer Science

Iterative design is an important aspect of computational thinking in which students learn to face challenges and persevere in fixing them. Yet we know little of how school teachers can support students in using iterative practices. In this chapter, we consider the teaching practices of two experienced computer science teachers who implemented a new 8-week long unit on making electronic textiles in their classrooms. Electronic textiles are sewn, programmable circuits with sensors and actuators on personal artifacts that provide various opportunities to learn through mistakes. Through analyses of observations and interviews with students and teachers who implemented the unit, we identified several teaching practices that supported values of iteration, revision, and working through mistakes. These included teachers modeling their own processes and mistakes in making projects, teachers modeling students’ mistakes to the wider class, and supporting personalized projects that resulted in unique “bugs” or challenges for each student. After sharing examples of these practices, we consider student and teacher reflections on the ways that mistakes and iteration supported student learning.