Visual Representations Supporting Implementation of A K12 Programming Curriculum in Open and Democratic Educational Institutions

In this paper we explore the use of a visual representation to support the discussion of computational thinking and programming curriculums, for implementation in open and democratic education institutions. Several countries are implementing curricular elements from computer science in K12 education. There are several obvious challenges that this change needs to address (e.g. the lack of teachers with sufficient content knowledge). But at their root is a lack of clarity about and tradition for what needs to be learned. The process of forming these curricula can be challenged by 1) a lack of participation because inputs from many different people become overwhelming, 2) a lack of transparency, with respect to the decisions (such as demarcations and trade-offs) leading to the curriculum, and finally the 3) ambiguity surrounding the names and elements of the curriculum, leaving teachers with uncertainty about what specific labels and names involve, and complicating comparisons between curricula. In this paper, we take outset in a splitting of the process of creating curricula into two parts: 1) a mapping of possible/desirable competencies to be developed in a subject and, 2) decisions about which competencies to actually include in a curriculum. We use an existing map previously developed to show central programming, to discuss progression levels. Our work with negotiating learning progression suggests that this approach supports discussion among stakeholders as well as clear declaration of knowledge respecting the many relations between knowledge elements. We use this work to discuss how our division between mapping and curriculum design relates to and addresses challenges in the more well-known division between curriculum design and teacher decision making about what to prioritise.