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1. A Professional Development Model to Integrate Computational Thinking Into Middle School Science Through Codesigned Storylines

   Biddy, Q.; Gendreau Chakarov, A.; Bush, J.; Hennessy Elliott, C.; Jacobs, J.; Recker, M.; Sumner, T.; Penuel, W. (March 2021, Contemporary issues in technology and teacher education)

   This article describes a professional development (PD) model, the CT-Integration Cycle, that supports teachers in learning to integrate computational thinking (CT) and computer science principles into their middle school science and STEM instruction. The PD model outlined here includes collaborative design (codesign; Voogt et al., 2015) of curricular units aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) that use programmable sensors. Specifically, teachers can develop or modify curricular materials to ensure a focus on coherent, student-driven instruction through the investigation of scientific phenomena that are relevant to students and integrate CT and sensor technology. Teachers can implement these storylines and collaboratively reflect on their instructional practices and student learning. Throughout this process, teachers may develop expertise in CT-integrated science instruction as they plan and use instructional practices aligned with the NGSS and foreground CT. This paper describes an examination of a group of five middle school teachers’ experiences during one iteration of the CT-Integration Cycle, including their learning, planning, implementation, and reflection on a unit they codesigned. Throughout their participation in the PD, the teachers expanded their capacity to engage deeply with CT practices and thoughtfully facilitated a CT-integrated unit with their students. 

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2. A Professional Development Model to Integrate Computational Thinking Into Middle School Science Through Codesigned Storylines

   Biddy, Q.; Gendreau Chakarov, A.; Bush, J.; Hennessy Elliott, C.; Jacobs, J.; Recker, M.; Sumner, T.; Penuel, W. (January 2021, Contemporary issues in technology and teacher education)

   null (Ed.)

   This article describes a professional development (PD) model, the CT- Integration Cycle, that supports teachers in learning to integrate computational thinking (CT) and computer science principles into their middle school science and STEM instruction. The PD model outlined here includes collaborative design (codesign; Voogt et al., 2015) of curricular units aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) that use programmable sensors. Specifically, teachers can develop or modify curricular materials to ensure a focus on coherent, student-driven instruction through the investigation of scientific phenomena that are relevant to students and integrate CT and sensor technology. Teachers can implement these storylines and collaboratively reflect on their instructional practices and student learning. Throughout this process, teachers may develop expertise in CT-integrated science instruction as they plan and use instructional practices aligned with the NGSS and foreground CT. This paper describes an examination of a group of five middle school teachers’ experiences during one iteration of the CT- Integration Cycle, including their learning, planning, implementation, and reflection on a unit they codesigned. Throughout their participation in the PD, the teachers expanded their capacity to engage deeply with CT practices and thoughtfully facilitated a CT-integrated unit with their students. 

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3. A Case Study of Teacher Professional Growth Through Co-design and Implementation of Computationally Enriched Biology Units

   Peel, A. (July 2020, ICLS 2020)

   Gresalfi, M. and (Ed.)

   Teachers in K-12 science classrooms play a key role in helping their students engage in computational thinking (CT) activities that reflect authentic science practices. However, we know less about how to support teachers in integrating CT into their classrooms. This paper presents a case of one science teacher over three years as she participated in a Design Based Implementation Research project focused on integrating CT into science curriculum. We analyze her professional growth as a designer and instructor as she created and implemented three computationally-enriched science units with the support of our research team. Results suggest that she became more confident in her understanding of and ability, leading to greater integration of CT in the science units. Relationships with the research team and co-design experiences mediated this growth. Findings yield implications for how best to support teachers in collaborative curriculum design. 

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4. Spiraling” teacher learning: A novel PLC platform integrating multi-grade collaboration, classroom artifacts, and mobile technology.

   Saint_Martin, Marlene; Martinez, Jose_Felipe; Kloser, Matt; Szopiak, Mike; Kovach, Jon (April 2024, American Educational Research Association)

   We investigate how collaborative structures within and across grade levels can influence teachers' understanding of student learning trajectories across K-8 science and how teachers align their instruction with the NGSS using vertically aligned and culturally relevant storylines of natural phenomena. The Professional Learning Community (PLC) model also relies on software tools to collect classroom artifacts reflecting instruction and student thinking. We analyze how participation in this type of PLC structure influences teacher planning, practice, and self-efficacy by comparing teacher and student survey responses before and after participation. We find promising evidence of statistically significant increases in teachers’ self-efficacy, the relevance of collaboration between teachers across grade levels, and students’ exposure to science practices. 

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5. Back to Computational Transparency: Co-designing with Teachers to Integrate Computational Thinking in Science Classrooms

   Bain, Connor; Anton, Gabriella; Horn, Michael; Wilensky, Uri (June 2020, International Conference of the Learning Sciences)

   Integrating computational thinking (CT) in the science classroom presents the opportunity to simultaneously broaden participation in computing, enhance science content learning, and engage students in authentic scientific practice. However, there is a lot more to learn on how teachers might integrate CT activities within their existing curricula. In this work, we describe a process of co-design with researchers and teachers to develop CT-infused science curricula. Specifically, we present a case study of one veteran physics teacher whose conception of CT during a professional development institute changed over time. We use this case study to explore how CT is perceived in physics instruction, a field that has a long history of computational learning opportunities. We also discuss how a co-design process led to the development of a lens through which to identify fruitful opportunities to integrate CT activities in physics curricula which we term computational transparency–purposefully revealing the inner workings of computational tools that students already use in the classroom. 

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