Compositional thinking

I started thinking about how K12 curriculum modifications are generated and why some areas of emphasis gain traction and others do not. I wrote a long post with a promise to follow up with suggestions elsewhere [https://learningaloud.com/blog/2020/04/09/educational-goals-shape-classroom-practice/]. One example from my analysis was the example of coding and computational thinking. I think it safe to to claim that there is great interest in K12 institutions engaging students at all grade levels in coding (e.g., hour of code, dedicated programming courses at the secondary level) and that decisions based on this interest have followed.

Without arguing the limits of the coding and computational thinking enthusiasm it seems interesting to examine why this focus? As an alternative, why not a greater emphasis on writing as applied in writing across the curriculum. A solid case based in research can be made for the benefits of writing across the curriculum and yet students do very little writing in any class. Maybe if educators started talking about compositional thinking, parents, administrators, and school board members would begin worrying about how little writing students do. Maybe what is required is an interesting label that seems new and important.