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1. Developing Online Professional Development for High School Teachers to Teach Computer Science Online

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3502717.3532174  

   Martin, Florence ; Shanley, Nicole E. ; Hite, Nicole ; Pérez-Quiñones, Manuel A. ; Pugalee, David ; Hart, Ellen ( July 2022 , Proceedings of the 27th ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education Vol. 2 (ITiCSE '22))

   Creating effective professional development is critical to support high school teachers who teach computer science (CS) online. The context of this study is based on a current Research to Practice Partnership (RPP) between the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the United States and North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS). Ten high school teachers from the NCVPS who teach CS online participated in a summer workshop and recommended design, facilitation, and evaluation strategies to be included in effective professional development (PD). The summer workshop was conducted synchronously via Zoom. It provided the opportunity to discuss teacher perceptions related to the research questions "What design, facilitation, and assessment strategies are helpful to include in an AP Computer Science Advanced course?" and "What recommendations do you have for designing an online professional development course for high school teachers to teach computer science online?" The questions were posed through an online collaborative Jamboard, and the affinity diagram method was used for data collection and document analysis was conducted. The teacher posts were qualitatively analyzed to identify common themes. Findings for professional development on content design included CS content, how to teach CS, and CS tools and activities. For assessment, they recommended content knowledge assessments, including lab assignments, single and pair programming, and coding assessments. They recommended tools for supplemental instruction, integration of discussion boards for interaction, and tools and strategies to provide feedback for professional development. 

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2. Standards-Aligned Instructional Supports to Promote Computer Science Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3478431.3499403  

   Basu, Satabdi ; Rutstein, Daisy ; Tate, Carol ; Rachmatullah, Arif ; Yang, Hui ( February 2022 , SIGCSE 2022: Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 1)

   The rapid expansion of K-12 CS education has made it critical to support CS teachers, many of whom are new to teaching CS, with the necessary resources and training to strengthen their understanding of CS concepts and how to effectively teach CS. CS teachers are often tasked with teaching different curricula using different programming languages in different grades or during different school years, and tend to receive different professional development (PD) for each curriculum they are required to teach. This often leads to a lack of deep understanding of the underlying CS concepts and how different curricula address the same concepts in different ways. Empowering teachers to develop a deep understanding of CS standards, and use formative assessments to recognize common student challenges associated with the standards, will enable teachers to provide more effective CS instruction, irrespective of the curriculum and/or programming language they are tasked with using. This position paper advocates supporting CS teacher professional learning by supplementing existing curriculum-specific teacher PD with standards-aligned PD that focuses on teachers' conceptual understanding of CS standards and ability to adapt instruction based on student understanding of concepts underlying the CS standards. We share concrete examples of how to design standards-aligned educative resources and instructionally supportive tools that promote teachers' understanding of CS standards and common student challenges and develop teachers' formative assessment literacy, all essential components of CS pedagogical content knowledge. 

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3. Developing K-8 Computer Science Teachers' Content Knowledge, Self-efficacy, and Attitudes through Evidence-based Professional Development

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3502718.3524771  

   Nugent, Gwen ; Chen, Keting ; Soh, Leen-Kiat ; Choi, Dongho ; Trainin, Guy ; Smith, Wendy ( July 2022 , ACM)

   Broadening participation in computer science (CS) for primary/elementary students is a growing movement, spurred by computing workforce demands and the need for younger students to develop skills in problem solving and critical/computational thinking. However, offering computer science instruction at this level is directly related to the availability of teachers prepared to teach the subject. Unfortunately, there are relatively few primary/elementary school teachers who have received formal training in computer science, and they often self-report a lack of CS subject matter expertise. Teacher development is a key factor to address these issues, and this paper describes professional development strategies and empirical impacts of a summer institute that included two graduate courses and a series of Saturday workshops during the subsequent academic year. Key elements included teaching a high-level programing language (Python and JavaScript), integrating CS content and pedagogy instruction, and involving both experienced K-12 CS teachers and University faculty as instructors. Empirical results showed that this carefully structured PD that incorporated evidence-based elements of sufficient duration, teacher active learning and collaboration, modeling, practice, and feedback can successfully impact teacher outcomes. Results showed significant gains in teacher CS knowledge (both pedagogy and content), self-efficacy, and perception of CS value. Moderating results - examining possible differential effects depending on teacher gender, years of teaching CS, and geographic locale - showed that the PD was successful with experienced and less experienced teachers, with teachers from both rural and urban locales, and with both males and females. 

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4. Gene Annotation in High Schools: Successful Student Pipeline and Teacher Professional Development in Bioscience Using GENI-ACT

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.578747  

   Koury, Stephen T. ; Carlin-Menter, Shannon ; Dey-Rao, Rama ; Kelly, Kimberle ( January 2021 , Frontiers in Microbiology)

   null (Ed.)

   Knowledge of genomics is an essential component of science for high school student health literacy. However, few high school teachers have received genomics training or any guidance on how to teach the subject to their students. This project explored the impact of a genomics and bioinformatics research pipeline for high school teachers and students using an introduction to genome annotation research as the catalyst. The Western New York-based project had three major components: (1) a summer teacher professional development workshop to introduce genome annotation research, (2) teacher-guided student genome annotation group projects during the school year, (3) with an end of the academic year capstone symposium to showcase student work in a poster session. Both teachers and students performed manual gene annotations using an online annotation toolkit known as Genomics Education National Initiative-Annotation Collaboration Toolkit (GENI-ACT), originally developed for use in a college undergraduate teaching environment. During the school year, students were asked to evaluate the data they had collected, formulate a hypothesis about the correctness of the computer pipeline annotation, and present the data to support their conclusions in poster form at the symposium. Evaluation of the project documented increased content knowledge in basic genomics and bioinformatics as well as increased confidence in using tools and the scientific process using GENI-ACT, thus demonstrating that high school students are capable of using the same tools as scientists to conduct a real-world research task. 

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5. Developing an Ecosystem of Support for K-12 CS Educators

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3478432.3499104  

   Twarek, Bryan ; Mak, Janice ; Glass, Shaina ; Barashango, Sababu Chaka ; Chang, Cindi ( March 2022 , ACM)

   K-12 computer science (CS) teachers are often the only teachers of the subject at their school. Many school-based administrators and personnel lack the content knowledge to support their ongoing professional growth. How then can an ecosystem of support be developed to support K-12 CS teachers? We have created several tools aligned to the CSTA Standards for CS Teachers that support administrators, instructional specialists, and teacher leaders to provide evidence-based feedback and promote the ongoing development of CS teachers at their schools. These tools, including a CS coaching toolkit and instructional practice evidence guide, have the potential to drive impactful, job-embedded development. 

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