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In this poster, we present our efforts to engage elementary teachers with learning trajectories as a tool for developing both their own and their students’ comprehension of computational think-ing (CT) and strategies for integrating CT learning in their class-room. Eleven teachers, who voluntarily joined a teacher professional development (PD) program to develop teacher leaders for CT integration in the elementary context, attended a one-day PD session aimed at reviewing their knowledge of CT, participating in CT-infused lessons, and engaging with CT learning trajectories. Over the next year, teachers will participate in monthly virtual PD to continue to grow both their CT content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. Our goal is to develop these teachers as teacher leaders who will support others as they integrate CT. This poster will show our current progress on CT learning trajectories and teacher leaders’ responses to the tool.
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Elementary Teachers Engaging with Learning Trajectories to Create Professional Learning Goals around Computer Science Integration
In this poster, we present our efforts to engage elementary teachers with learning trajectories as a tool for developing both their own and their students’ comprehension of computational thinking (CT) and strategies for integrating CT learning in their classroom. Eleven teachers, who voluntarily joined a teacher professional development (PD) program to develop teacher leaders for CT integration in the elementary context, attended a one-day PD session aimed at reviewing their knowledge of CT, participating in CT-infused lessons, and engaging with CT learning trajectories. Over the next year, teachers will participate in monthly virtual PD to continue to grow both their CT content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. Our goal is to develop these teachers as teacher leaders who will support others as they integrate CT. This poster will show our current progress on CT learning trajectories and teacher leaders’ responses to the tool.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2300322
- PAR ID:
- 10510282
- Publisher / Repository:
- ACM
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the 55th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Teacher professional development, computational thinking, learning trajectories, elementary computer science education
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- Portland, OR
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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The purpose of this paper is to explain how we adapted our novel 3C PD Model (Code, Connect, and Create) for teacher professional development (PD) around computational thinking (CT) integration for elementary teachers. We will share PD design choices that support early childhood and elementary teachers in learning about CT knowledge, skills, and dispositions and making content connections to CT. We will also detail how we have helped teachers begin planning for CT-integrated lesson implementation. We will share empirical data from a post-PD survey that includes teacher reflections on their participation in the 3C PD Model. We conclude by making recommendations and offering implications for PK-5 PD providers that aim to increase teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) around CT and integration.more » « less
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Abstract. We investigated teacher learning within a professional development (PD) workshop series on computational thinking (CT) for elementary-level mentor teachers. The purpose of the PD was to prepare mentor teachers to support preservice teachers in integrating CT into their classroom practice, toward the broader goal of advancing CT for all in the early grades. We examined the ways in which participants collaboratively built on existing professional knowledge as they engaged in professional learning activities designed to introduce CT and related pedagogies for elementary science education. Our data sources were field notes, artifacts, drawings, written reflections, and focus group interviews. We describe how participants developed new understandings of CT integration and made connections to existing professional knowledge of their students, their curriculum, and their school contexts. We discuss implications for teacher learning and PD design relevant to CT, and make recommendations for future research.more » « less
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Teachers’ lack of knowledge about computational thinking (CT) and limited opportunities to incorporate CT in existing curricula pose unique challenges at the elementary level. Despite the crucial role of professional development (PD) in preparing elementary school teachers to integrate CT in classroom instruction, there is little research documenting PD programs that focus on integration in literacy and mathematics compared to other subject areas. In this work, we present a PD program that integrates CT with disciplinary content to support teachers as they integrate CT with literacy and mathematics in elementary school classrooms. Using data from multiple sources, we present findings from two case studies to examine the impact of PD on teachers’ integration of CT with content in lesson planning and implementation. Findings have implications related to the integration of CT in elementary school and teacher PD.more » « less
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Objective Over the past decade, we developed and studied a face-to-face video-based analysis-of-practice PD model. In a cluster randomized trial, we found that the face-to-face model enhanced elementary science teacher knowledge and practice, and resulted in important improvements to student science achievement (student treatment effect, d = 0.52; Taylor et al., 2017: Roth et al., 2018). The face-to-face PD model is expensive and difficult to scale. In this poster, we present the results of a two-year design-based research study to translate the face-to-face PD into a facilitated online PD experience. The purpose is to create an effective, flexible, and cost-efficient PD model that will reach a broader audience of teachers. Perspective/Theoretical Framework The face-to-face PD model is grounded in situated cognition and cognitive apprenticeship frameworks. Teachers engage in learning science content and practices in the context in which they will be teaching. In addition, there are scaffolded opportunities for teachers to learn from model videos by experienced teachers, try model units, and ultimately develop their own unit, with guidance. The PD model also attends to the key features of effective PD as described by Desimone (2009) and others. We adhered closely to the design principles of the face-to-face model as described by Roth et al., 2018. Methods We followed a design-based research approach (DBR: Cobb et al., 2003: Shavelson et al., 2003) to examine the online program components and how they promoted or interfered with the development of teachers’ knowledge and reflective practice. Of central interest was the examination of mechanisms for facilitating teacher learning (Confrey, 2006). To accomplish this goal, design researchers engaged in iterative cycles of problem analysis, design, implementation, examination, and redesign (Wang & Hannafin, 2005). Data We iteratively designed, tested, and revised 17 modules across three pilot versions. Three small groups of teachers engaged in both synchronous and asynchronous components of the larger online course. They responded to surveys and took part in interviews related to the PD. The PD facilitators took extensive notes after each iteration. The development team met weekly to discuss revisions. Results We found that community building required the same incremental trust-building activities that occur in face-to-face PD. Teachers began with low-risk activities and gradually engaged in activities that required greater vulnerability (sharing a video of themselves teaching a model unit for analysis and critique by the group). We also identified how to contextualize technical tools with instructional prompts to allow teachers to productively interact with one another about science ideas asynchronously. As part of that effort, we crafted crux questions to surface teachers’ confusions or challenges related to content or pedagogy. Facilitators leveraged asynchronous responses to crux questions in the synchronous sessions to push teacher thinking further than would have otherwise been possible in a 2-hour synchronous video-conference. Significance Supporting teachers with effective, flexible, and cost-efficient PD is difficult under the best of circumstances. In the era of COVID-19, online PD has taken on new urgency. AERA members will gain insight into the construction of an online PD for elementary science teachers/ Full digital poster available at: https://aera21-aera.ipostersessions.com/default.aspx?s=64-5F-86-2E-15-F8-C3-C0-45-C6-A0-B7-1D-90-BE-46more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript
- Conference Proceeding:
- https://doi.org/10.1145/3626253.3635579
