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Abstract Although computational thinking (CT) is becoming increasingly prevalent in K-12 education, many teachers find it challenging to integrate it with their classroom learning. In this systematic review, we have reviewed empirical evidence on teachers’ computational-thinking-focused professional development (PD). The findings depict the landscape of what has been done in terms of how PDs have been designed, how CT has been conceptualized, how learning outcomes have been assessed, and how teachers have been supported in integrating CT into their teaching practices. We have further summarized the lessons learned from the PDs and discussed the gaps as the field moves forward. These findings shed light on supporting teachers as the first step to creating an effective model for CT learning and development in K-12 education. 

This empirical case study utilizes conjecture mapping to capture and systematically map conjectures about the support needed for K-12 teachers to incorporate computational thinking into teaching. The case analysis highlighted a teacher’s year-long professional development experience focused on integrating computational thinking. The evolving conjecture map provides a framework to trace and understand relationships between the learning designs, activities, and teacher outcomes. Using rich data from the teacher's experience, the study tests and refines the hypothesized connections laid out in the original conjecture map to build an understanding of effective computational thinking professional development design. 

This exploratory research analyzes the video-recorded data of four elementary-grade teachers debugging a school tour activity while utilizing a programable robot, Photon. This summer’s professional development session on computational thinking (CT) integration was four hours long and was focused on debugging as a key CT component. The results indicate that teachers worked collaboratively to debug their way through errors using different strategies, such as step-by-step execution or incremental code development. 

In this paper, we explore how one-on-one coaching supported one teacher in implementing ideas about computational thinking in her classroom. We draw from existing literature on coaching strategies but recognize those tend to have been developed in large-group or small-group settings rather than one-on-one. Our findings consider two kinds of questions that seemed to support the teacher in engaging with discourse practices that have been shown effective for coaching (Lefstein et al, 2020). Our findings suggest that coaching made the instruction and activity from PL workshops more relevant and tangible for the teacher. 

Elementary grade teachers are often not fully prepared to teach a computing-rich curriculum, and the demand of the digital age to integrate Computational Thinking (CT) into their classrooms has put them at a challenge. Under the larger umbrella, abstraction lies at the heart of CT. Abstraction allows moving between various information levels while targeting complex problems and creating rich design solutions. This study focuses on how one pair of elementary-grade teachers collaborated, using abstraction to solve a maze challenge, helping each other move between different layers of information. The videotaped data of one day of teachers' professional development was analyzed through three dimensions of Community of Practice (CoP). Results suggest that through mutual engagement in pursuing a joint enterprise and their shared repertoire, elementary-grade teachers moved their focus between different levels of abstraction simultaneously and effectively. 

The study focuses on understanding the discourse, interaction, and problem-solving relating to pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) demonstrated by teachers in one professional training workshop on Computational Thinking (CT) and its implementations in classrooms. 

Teachers often find it challenging to learn computational thinking (CT) and integrate it with classroom learning. In this systematic review, we focus on how professional learning experiences have supported K-12 teachers to integrate CT into their classrooms. The findings suggest some effective strategies for building professional learning experiences but highlight the need for more agreement about the nature of CT.