Title: Applying the Mathematical Work of Teaching Framework to Develop a Computer Science Pedagogical Content Knowledge Assessment
Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is specialized knowledge necessary to teach a subject. PCK integrates subject-matter content knowledge with knowledge of students and of teaching strategies so that teachers can perform the daily tasks of teaching. Studies in mathematics education have found correlations between measures of PCK and student learning. Finding robust, scalable ways for developing and measuring computer science (CS) teachers’ PCK is particularly important in CS education in the United States, given the lack of formal CS teacher preparation programs and certifications. However, measuring pedagogical content knowledge is a challenge for all subject areas. It can be difficult to write assessment items that elicit the different aspects of PCK and there are often multiple appropriate pedagogical choices in any given teaching scenario. In this paper, we describe a framework and pilot data from a questionnaire intended to elicit PCK from teachers of high school introductory CS courses and we propose future directions for this work. more »« less
Basu, S; Rutstein, D; Tate, C; Rachmatullah, A; Yang, H
(, 16th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) – Proceedings)
K-12 Computer Science (CS) education is developing rapidly but still lacks a comprehensive measure for CS teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). We respond to this need by describing the design of a CS-PCK instrument for ‘Algorithms and Programming’ that measures three broad constructs: (a) teachers’ understanding of standards and standards alignment, (b) teachers’ formative assessment practices, and (c) teachers’ self-efficacy for teaching and assessing CS.
Kao, Yvonne S.; DeLyser, Leigh Ann; Hubbard, Aleata K.
(, SIGCSE '16: Proceedings of the 47th ACM Technical Symposium on Computing Science Education)
One of the critical barriers to increasing pre-collegiate computer science course offerings in the U.S. is a lack of qualified computer science teachers. Programs such as TEALS, a teacher preparation program pairing high school teachers with computing professionals to offer CS courses, provide opportunities for in-service teachers to gain experience teaching computer science. However, it is not clear whether the high school teachers develop sufficient pedagogical expertise to sustain high-quality computer science course offerings at their schools. Furthermore, the field of computer science education lacks valid and reliable ways of measuring pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), a construct that describes the knowledge teachers need for effective instruction. In this poster, the authors present these results from the first year of a three-year NSF grant to study how TEALS participation influences novice computer science teachers' PCK: 1) a theoretical framework describing the critical components of CS PCK, 2) the results of the first field test of a CS PCK assessment, including the psychometric properties of the assessment, and 3) a comparison of how teachers performed on the assessment at the beginning and end of their first year of computer science teaching and how they performed relative to their computing professional mentors.
Miller, D. I.; Pinerua, I.; Margolin, J.; Gerdeman, D.
(, American Institutes for Research)
Teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is a complex, multifaceted construct that is widely seen as foundational to the act of teaching. In this synthesis, we investigated how the National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) recent research investments have advanced understanding and supported the development of teachers’ PCK in PK–12 mathematics and science education. In the 5 years from 2011 to 2015, NSF’s Discovery Research PK–12 program (DRK-12) funded or cofunded 27 projects relating to PCK, totaling $62 million awarded. These 27 DRK-12 projects primarily applied correlational/observational and longitudinal methods (rather than quasi-experimental or experimental methods), often targeting teaching in the middle school grades. Our synthesis of empirical findings focused on how these projects studied PCK, including its measurement, development, and relationship to teaching and student learning. Link to PDF: https://www.air.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/Teachers-Pedagogical-Content-Knowledge-in-Math-and-Science-April-2022.pdf
Hubbard, Aleata; D'Silva, Katie
(, Proceedings of the 2018 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research - ICER '18)
The recent groundswell of interest in computer science education across many countries has created a pressing need for computing teachers at the secondary level. To satisfy this demand, some educational systems are drawing from their pool of in-service teachers trained in other disciplines. While these transitioning teachers can learn about computing pedagogy and subject matter at professional learning workshops, daily teaching experiences will also be a source of their learning. We studied a co-teaching program where instructional responsibilities were distributed between teachers and volunteers from the tech industry to explore how specific teaching practices supported teacher learning, with a focus on pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Through qualitative analysis of questionnaire and interview data gathered from three teachers during one school year, we identified the practices they engaged in and how their learning related to the enactment of those practices. Our results highlight several factors that influenced the ways in which teaching practices provided participants with opportunities to learn PCK: (a) active participation of students and volunteers; (b) teacher’s level of content knowledge; (c) interdependent practices; and (d) immediacy of the classroom environment.
Gale, J; Baptiste_Porter, D; Alemdar, M; Newton, S; Rehmat, A; Choi, J
(, American Society for Engineering Education)
Pre-college engineering teachers bring unique backgrounds to their teaching practice. Many engineering teachers follow a non-traditional route to teaching engineering, often coming to engineering from teaching other subjects or from careers in other fields. Among the many variations influencing engineering teaching practices is pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), defined as the “the knowledge of, reasoning behind, and enactment of the teaching of particular topics in a particular way with particular students for particular reasons for enhanced student outcomes [1]”. This multiple case study explores the PCK of five middle school engineering teachers implementing the same middle school engineering curriculum, STEM-ID. The 18- week STEM-ID curriculum engages students in contextualized challenges that incorporate foundational mathematics and science practices and advanced manufacturing tools such as computer aided design (CAD) and 3D printing, while introducing engineering concepts like pneumatics, aeronautics, and robotics. Drawing on observation and interview data collected over the course of two semester-long implementations of STEM-ID, the study addresses the research question: What variations in PCK are evident among engineering teachers with different professional backgrounds and levels of experience? Five teachers were purposively selected from a larger group of teachers implementing the curriculum because they represent a range of professional backgrounds: one veteran engineering teacher, one former Math teacher, one former Science teacher, one former English/Language Arts teacher, and one novice teacher with a background in the software industry. The study utilizes the Refined Consensus Model of PCK to investigate connections between teacher backgrounds, personal PCK (pPCK), the personalized professional knowledge held by teachers, and enacted PCK (ePCK), the knowledge teachers draw on to engage in pedagogical reasoning while planning, teaching, and reflecting on their practice. Observation, interview, and survey data were triangulated to develop narrative case summaries describing each teacher’s PCK, which were then subjected to cross-case analysis to identify patterns and themes across teachers. Findings describe how teachers’ backgrounds translated into diverse forms of pPCK that informed the pedagogical moves and decisions teachers made as they implemented the curriculum (ePCK). Regardless of the previous subject taught (math, science, or ELA), teachers routinely drew upon their pPCK in other subjects as they facilitated the engineering design process. Teachers with previous experience teaching math or science tended to be more likely than others to foreground the integration of math or science within the curriculum. Comparison of ePCK observed as teachers implemented the curriculum revealed that, in spite of having a more fully developed pPCK in teaching engineering, the veteran engineering teacher did not exhibit more sophisticated ePCK than novice engineering teachers. In addition to contributing to the field’s understanding of engineering teachers’ PCK, these findings hold implications for the recruitment, retention, and professional development of engineering teachers.
Kao, Yvonne, D'Silva, Katie, Hubbard, Aleata, Green, Joseph, and Cully, Kimkinyona.
"Applying the Mathematical Work of Teaching Framework to Develop a Computer Science Pedagogical Content Knowledge Assessment". SIGCSE '18: 49th Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (). Country unknown/Code not available. https://doi.org/10.1145/3159450.3159521.https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10128095.
@article{osti_10128095,
place = {Country unknown/Code not available},
title = {Applying the Mathematical Work of Teaching Framework to Develop a Computer Science Pedagogical Content Knowledge Assessment},
url = {https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10128095},
DOI = {10.1145/3159450.3159521},
abstractNote = {Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is specialized knowledge necessary to teach a subject. PCK integrates subject-matter content knowledge with knowledge of students and of teaching strategies so that teachers can perform the daily tasks of teaching. Studies in mathematics education have found correlations between measures of PCK and student learning. Finding robust, scalable ways for developing and measuring computer science (CS) teachers’ PCK is particularly important in CS education in the United States, given the lack of formal CS teacher preparation programs and certifications. However, measuring pedagogical content knowledge is a challenge for all subject areas. It can be difficult to write assessment items that elicit the different aspects of PCK and there are often multiple appropriate pedagogical choices in any given teaching scenario. In this paper, we describe a framework and pilot data from a questionnaire intended to elicit PCK from teachers of high school introductory CS courses and we propose future directions for this work.},
journal = {SIGCSE '18: 49th Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education},
author = {Kao, Yvonne and D'Silva, Katie and Hubbard, Aleata and Green, Joseph and Cully, Kimkinyona},
}
Warning: Leaving National Science Foundation Website
You are now leaving the National Science Foundation website to go to a non-government website.
Website:
NSF takes no responsibility for and exercises no control over the views expressed or the accuracy of
the information contained on this site. Also be aware that NSF's privacy policy does not apply to this site.
An official website of the United States government
