COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION: ONLINE CONTENT
      MODULES AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR
      SECONDARY TEACHERS IN WEST TENNESSEE – A
      CASE STUDY

A difficult challenge to computer science education is the systemic professional development of teachers. K-12 computer science education models limited to voluntary in-service teacher professional development may not reach a critical majority of teachers who are skeptical towards information technology, computer science, programming and computational thinking. The inclusion of computer science in a national K-12 education standard in Switzerland has made it possible to move beyond voluntary K-12 computer science education for in-service teachers to mandatory pre-service teacher education for all elementary teachers. This chapter describes the vision of the Digital Polymath as a digitally enabled person empowered by computational thinking to connect computer science with other disciplines. The course design, combining game design activities, computational thinking tools and the 7 big ideas from the computer science principles framework is outlined and experiences are reported.

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Preparing School Leaders to Advance Equity in Computer Science Education

Journal of Computer Science Integration ◽

10.26716/jcsi.2021.10.8.33 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Julie Flapan ◽

Jean J. Ryoo ◽

Roxana Hadad ◽

Joel Knudson

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

Science Education ◽

Computer Science ◽

Leadership Practices ◽

Large Scale ◽

Computer Science Education ◽

School Leaders ◽

Research Question ◽

Implementation Challenges ◽

Science Professional Development

Background and Context: Most large-scale statewide initiatives of the Computer Science for All (CS for All) movement have focused on the classroom level. Critical questions remain about building school and district leadership capacity to support teachers while implementing equitable computer science education that is scalable and sustainable. Objective: This statewide research-practice partnership, involving university researchers and school leaders from 14 local education agencies (LEA) from district and county offices, addresses the following research question: What do administrators identify as most helpful for understanding issues related to equitable computer science implementation when engaging with a guide and workshop we collaboratively developed to help leadership in such efforts? Method: Participant surveys, interviews, and workshop observations were analyzed to understand best practices for professional development supporting educational leaders. Findings: Administrators value computer science professional development resources that: (a) have a clear focus on “equity;” (b) engage with data and examples that deepen understandings of equity; (c) provide networking opportunities; (d) have explicit workshop purpose and activities; and (e) support deeper discussions of computer science implementation challenges through pairing a workshop and a guide. Implications: Utilizing Ishimaru and Galloway’s (2014) framework for equitable leadership practices, this study offers an actionable construct for equitable implementation of computer science including (a) how to build equity leadership and vision; (b) how to enact that vision; and (c) how to scale and sustain that vision. While this construct applies to equitable leadership practices more broadly across all disciplines, we found its application particularly useful when explicitly focused on equity leadership practices in computer science.

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