How can students in social studies classrooms engage in the kind of problem-solving and critical thinking that real-world historians, political scientists, geographers, and economists use every day? Computational thinking (CT) offers one direction - these professionals use approaches associated with CT all the time, specifically by creating models and representations of complex social, political, historical, economic, and geographic phenomena. These models and representations elevate important details, trends, and relationships that simplify complexity, communicate meaning and prompt new inquiries.
In this building block, you will explore how computational thinking can be used to create models or representations that support the exploration and analysis of social, political, historical, economic, or geographic phenomena.
This building block highlights three practices:
A1. Break down social issues
A2. Create models and representations of social issues
A3. Critically engage with models and representations of social issues
As you complete this project, and others in this building block, consider the following questions for your own classroom instruction:
- What does it look like to apply computational thinking in social studies?
- Does using computational thinking support student outcomes? How?
The A1 practice of breaking down social issues via CT can be divided into two discreet practices focusing on how to:
- Identify core concepts or factors related to social, historical, political, economic, or geographical phenomena by filtering out unnecessary details and reducing complexity.
- Analyze social, historical, political, economic, or geographic phenomena by proposing an algorithm (set of rules) to identify, sort, or categorize phenomena.
Practice in Action
A1.1 Small groups of students can be asked to identify key factors that drive the voting behavior of different populations by examining raw data of exit polls at a local precinct.
A1.2 Analyzing the root cause of geopolitical conflicts can help in comparing and contrasting conflicts throughout history and in the present. For example, students can create a flowchart with questions about the nature of a historical conflict in order to categorize and compare conflicts. These questions can focus on political motivation, important events leading up to the start, sources of conflict stemming from race/religion, and other factors. After creating this flowchart, students can use their work to compare and contrast other conflicts including modern-day conflicts.
The A2 practice of creating models and representation of social issues is divided into two discreet practices focusing on how to:
- Represent possible explanations for how and/or why a social, historical, political, economic, or geographic phenomenon occurs using an algorithm, flow chart or set of rules.
- Model social, historical, political, or economic phenomena through computational or non-computational means (e.g. maps, timelines, visualizations, representations, simulations, conceptual models) to reduce complexities and highlight relationships.
Practice in Action
A2.1 Students can make a computational artifact that interactively demonstrates a political process (e.g., a Scratch project that guides a user through the process of how a bill becomes a law, using conditionals based on certain scenarios).
A2.2 Mapping is one form of non-computational modeling that can be used to highlight social phenomena. For example, students can create a map of “third places” in their community (places where people gather outside of the home or work/school). Maps can be accompanied by other media. A map of third places may include videos of community events or descriptions of how the students use these places with their friends and family on a regular basis.
The A3 practice of critically engaging with models and representations of social issues can be divided into two discreet practices focusing on how to:
- Determine what questions a model or representation related to social, historical, political, economic, or geographic phenomena (e.g. maps, timelines, visualizations, simulations, conceptual models) may or may not be able to answer.
- Assess the perspective and potential biases present in models or representations of social, historical, political, economic, or geographic phenomena to understand the viewpoint of their creators.
Practice in Action
A3.1 An activity that asks students to analyze the root cause of geopolitical conflicts can help in comparing and contrasting conflicts throughout history and in the present. For example, students can create a flowchart with questions about the nature of a historical conflict in order to categorize and compare conflicts. These questions can focus on political motivation, important events leading up to the start, sources of conflict stemming from race/religion, and other factors. After creating this flowchart, students can use their work to compare and contrast other conflicts including modern-day conflicts.
A3.2 In the classroom, students can be asked to compare and contrast different community or country maps, focused on the same region, to make claims about what perspectives are foregrounded or backgrounded in these maps.