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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 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. 

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. 

Drawing on analysis of a researcher-practitioner partnership, this study positions computational thinking as a key scientific literacy that promotes deeper understandings of disciplinary content. 

Despite the increasing attention to infusing CT into middle and high school content area classrooms, there is a lack of information about the most effective practices and models to support teachers in their efforts to integrate disciplinary content and CT principles. To address this need, this paper proposes the Code, Connect and Create (3C) professional development (PD) model, which was designed to support middle and high school content area teachers in infusing computational thinking into their classrooms. To evaluate the model, we analyzed quantitative and qualitative data collected from Infusing Computing PD workshops designed for in-service science, math, English language arts, and social studies teachers located in two Southeastern states. Drawing on findings from our analysis of teacher-created learning segments, surveys, and interviews, we argue that the 3C professional development model supported shifts in teacher understandings of the role of computational thinking in content area classrooms, as well as their self-efficacy and beliefs regarding CT integration into disciplinary content. We conclude by offering implications for the use of this model to increase teacher and student access to computational thinking practices in middle and high school classrooms.