Publication

In this paper, we present our guiding principles for designing a constructionist curricular unit called Stitching the Loop with electronic textiles which introduce high school students to key concepts in crafting, circuit design and computing. Our principles were to design for (1) engagement by promoting interest-driven designs; (2) expression by putting aesthetics first; (3) depth by developing challenging content within constraints; (4) multiple experiences for providing opportunities for practice; (5) audience by sharing designs; (6) collaboration by having students help other students; (7) reflection by including design notebooks and portfolios; (8) failure by having students and teachers model and celebrate mistakes; (9) practicalities that transform classrooms into maker studios; and (10) iterations, iterations, iterations. Over three years, we worked together with dozens of high school teachers and hundreds of students in implementing and revising classroom activities in which students design and craft a series of individual and collaborative electronic textiles projects. Situated within the larger framework of the year-long Exploring Computer Science curriculum, we illustrate how these guiding principles fostered an equity- and inquiry-oriented pedagogy through which teachers could contribute to and support students’ learning.