The Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Graduate Course to Prepare Teachers and School Librarians to Lead K-12 Computational Thinking

The importance of applying computational thinking—the problem-solving approach used in the domain of computer science—to solve significant problems is increasingly recognized in K-12 schools as a fundamental skill all students need to develop. The current study presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of a graduate course 20 teachers and school librarians completed in spring 2019. The purpose of the course was to expand learners' understandings of the value and nature of computational thinking, to explore barriers to access faced by students in underrepresented groups, and to reflect on how to facilitate K-12 students' understandings of computational thinking outside of dedicated computing courses. Using a model for systematic instructional planning and evaluation, this chapter reports qualitative thematic analyses of learners' performances and reflections. The chapter concludes with planned revisions for the course and implications for similar efforts within in-service teacher education programs.

Preparing Pre-Service Teachers for the Future

In this chapter, we explore how our team of professors at East Tennessee State University integrated computational thinking into elementary education courses for pre-service teachers. We lean on current research to understand the definition, purpose, and culture surrounding computational thinking and consider how it may develop students' analytic skills and critical. Because of our particular context, we are interested in the play of gender and socioeconomic status in the development of technological and computational abilities. We share ideas we experimented with in Science and English language arts pre-service methods courses, as well as faculty and pre-service teacher perspectives on the developing experience.

Using Dr. Scratch as a Formative Feedback Tool to Assess Computational Thinking

This study investigated if using Dr. Scratch as a formative feedback tool would accelerate students' Computational Thinking (CT). Forty-one 4th-6th grade students participated in a 1-hour/week Scratch workshop for nine weeks. We measured pre- and posttest results of the computational thinking test (CTt) between control (n = 18) and treatment groups (n = 23) using three methods: propensity score matching (treatment = .575; control = .607; p = .696), information maximum likelihood technique (treatment effect = -.09; p = .006), and multiple linear regression. Both groups demonstrated significantly increased posttest scores over their pretest (treatment = +8.31%; control = +5.43%), showing that learning to code can increase computational thinking over a 2-month period. In this chapter, we discuss the implications of using Dr. Scratch as a formative feedback tool the possibilities of further research on the use of automatic feedback tools in teaching elementary computational thinking.

Achievement Differences Between Students in Single-Sex Schools and Students in Coeducational Schools

This study used hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) approach to investigate relationships between student achievement and single-sex school status with a sample of 57,041 students in 996 secondary schools in Kenya. An ANOVA was conducted to compare achievement levels of student enrolled in computer science courses and those who are not. The results showed that students enrolled in computer science courses achieved at a higher level whether in single-sex or coeducational schools. Students in single-sex schools achieved at a significantly higher level than those in co-education schools across all counties studied and across all subjects. The study concluded with a discussion of the importance of the study findings and call for the education stakeholders to be cognizant of the contribution the variables discussed in this study make to teaching and learning environment so that they are fully involved in providing the kinds of educational experiences that promote student learning.

Enhancing Preservice Teachers' Confidence and Efficacy in Computer Science

The growing demand for digital literacy, computer science (CS), and computational thinking (CT) has taken traction in U.S. schools. The emphasis on teaching these skills in the classroom demands teachers who are prepared to teach such content and skills. However, there has been limited research on preservice teacher self-efficacy for teaching CS to elementary-aged students even though a body of research related to teacher efficacy has supported positive changes in student learning. The purpose of the mixed-method research was to examine over 30 preservice teachers' self-efficacy in teaching CS lessons to elementary-aged students. Findings included improved efficacy, confidence, and positive perceptions about teaching CS from pre-to post-test surveys, focus-group interviews, and written reflections. Three prominent topics emerged from qualitative data and consisted of: (1) lack of familiarity of concepts caused nervousness; (2) peer and content support to ease implementation; (3) developing enthusiasm of the content through multiple exposures.

Computational Thinking and Social Studies Teacher Education

Computational thinking is highly applicable to social studies education, particularly decision-focused social studies. To better fit the disciplinary needs of social studies and align with social studies standards, we adapt and group computational thinking skills into a heuristic of data, patterns, rules, and questions (DPR-Q). We then propose a four-step model for social studies teachers to follow when planning lessons that integrate computational thinking within their curricular instruction. Both the DPR-Q heuristic and the instructional planning model are explained with worked examples from social studies classrooms. Successful integration of computational thinking into decision-focused social studies can both enrich the social studies curriculum and provide a curricular home for teaching computational thinking, bearing out Wing's claim that computational thinking is ‘everywhere' and ‘for everyone.'

Pre-Service Teacher Preparation to Integrate Computational Thinking

United States education has experienced a big push for students to learn coding as part of computer science and more explicitly address computational thinking (CT). However, CT remains a challenging subject for many students, including pre-service teachers. CT, which overlaps mathematics and computer science, tends to be offered as an elective course, at best, in P-16 education. Pre-service teaching profession students usually do not have foundational knowledge to guide them in integrating computational thinking into the curriculum that they will eventually teach as instructors themselves. This chapter explains computational thinking in light of K-8 education, discusses issues and needs in integrating CT into K-8 curriculum, identifies relevant theories and models for teaching CT, describes current practice for integrating computational thinking into K-8 curriculum, and discusses pre-service teachers' preparation that can lead to their successful incorporation of CT into the curriculum.

The Rise of the Digital Polymath

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.

Introducing Computational Thinking Unplugged in Early Childhood Education Within the Context of Physical and Natural Science Courses

In the contemporary digital era, introducing computational thinking concepts is considered an imperative need at all stages of schooling, since they are inextricably linked to skills applicable and beneficial in everyday life. This chapter presents a novel educational framework that aims to foster the growth of computational thinking at early childhood stages, within the context of physical and natural science courses, pursuing the unplugged philosophy and following the principles of game-based, project-based and collaborative learning. This chapter also presents a relevant pilot study, conducted with second grade students of a Greek primary school, with the objective of assessing the feasibility of the proposed educational framework, as well as examining its effectiveness. The results stemming from the pilot are promising and reveal that the proposed approach serves our goal to enhance computational thinking at the first stages of schooling through engaging and fun educational activities that appeal to young students.

Computer Science in Mathematics Preservice Teacher Education

In recent years, significant resources have been invested in increasing access and opportunities to computer science (CS) for elementary school students in the US. However even with the increased advancements and initiatives to embed CS into the elementary school curriculum, little has been done to examine the curriculum and pedagogical implications for mathematics preservice teacher education. For these initiatives to be successful, there is a need to train preservice teachers to integrate CS concepts into their teaching. This chapter reports on a research project that investigated the use of a visual programming language on pre-service teachers' understanding of basic computer science ideas and how these can be integrated into the teaching of mathematics. The purpose of the project was to help preservice teachers develop a basic knowledge of computer science concepts and to help develop subject-specific understanding of how to integrate these concepts.