Earlier this season, Carrie Anne and James discussed the importance of access and diversity within computing and the challenges associated with engaging a wide range of learners in computing. This week, they begin to explore the topic of inclusion, ensuring that all learners are able to access and participate in meaningful learning opportunities in computing. How do we as educators ensure that learners are able to thrive and learn within computing regardless of any special educational needs they have?
Guests
Our guests this week are two experienced educators with a passion for data, who have both written about engaging learners in the subject:
Catherine Elliot is the SEND lead for the Sheffield eLearning Service, and she has spent a number of years working on ways to make computing accessible for all learners. She is co-chair of the Computing At School Include (CASInclude) working group, and leader of the Virtual SEND CAS Community.
Meg Ray teaches the computer science education courses at NYU Steinhardt and special education courses at Hunter College, CUNY. Meg was responsible for instructional coach training at Cornell Tech, where she was the founding Teacher in Residence. She is also an experienced high school computer science teacher, special educator, and curriculum developer. Meg is the author of the book Code This Game!
Carrie Anne Philbin, MBE, is a computing educator, YouTuber, author, and host of the Hello World podcast.
James Robinson is a computing educator, trainer, and host of the Hello World podcast.
Catherine Elliott is the SEND lead for the Sheffield eLearning Service, co-chair of the Computing At School Include working group, and host of several of our Raspberry Pi Foundation online courses.
Meg Ray is an experienced high school computer science teacher, special educator, and curriculum developer. Meg teaches computer science education courses at NYU Steinhardt and special education courses at Hunter College, CUNY.
Together, we highight the importance of inclusion for learners with specific needs, but also the benefits for learners as a whole. We acknowledge some of the specific challenges for teachers as well as some broad strategies. In particular, we discuss the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework and its application to computing education.
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This is the final episode in this season, be sure to join us later in the year for more conversations about computing and digital making education.
