Historical High School Computer Science Curriculum and Current K-12 Initiatives

It's an exciting time in computer science education on the K-12 landscape. Educational jurisdictions around the world are incorporating computer science concepts, as well as related computational thinking components, into their mandatory, K-12 curriculum. As we develop and implement curriculum initiatives with an eye on the future and the 21st century learner and citizen, what wisdom can we gleam from the past? In Ontario, Canada computer science education dates back to 1966 with the release of the Ministry of Education's Data Processing course that included a number of computer science and computer programming concepts and ideas. The document also frames computer education within the context of an emerging field and highlights the importance of students developing appropriate computer skills in order to thrive in the labor market and society. While we often consider computer science curriculum initiatives in K-12 education nascent, are important historical policy and initiatives being overlooked? This lightning talk shares preliminary findings from an analysis of five historical computer science curriculum documents. Grounded theory was used to discover emergent themes and concepts apparent in historical documents including ethical computing, the role of technology in society, and the cross-curricular nature of computer science skills. These preliminary findings inform the discussion surrounding the use of historical curriculum to establish best practice in existing curriculum and policy development.