This Stanford Teacher Education Program syllabus (Education 261D) approaches computational thinking through the lens of teaching for social justice. It examines how (and why) practitioners and schools can support students’ engagement with computational thinking practices through interdisciplinary means. This course will develop students’ understanding of computational thinking to engage in important ways with power, privilege, and identity. Utilizing computational thinking as an approach to problem-solving empowers individuals to recognize the influences technology brings to our society and the impact it has on ethics and equity.

The goals of this course are to: (1) describe the core practices of computational thinking and be able to use it as a way for k-12 students to access information, express their thinking, learning, and ideas; and increase their computational fluency; (2) develop technological and content knowledge in order to utilize these practices in your discipline; (3) understand how to choose appropriate learning environments for students to engage in computational thinking-related activities with an emphasis on pedagogy; and (4) empower practitioners to recognize opportunities through which they may be able to engage an audience in utilizing computational thinking skills.