Examining Instructional Planning and Implementation in the Context of an Integrated Computer Science Professional Development Program for Elementary Teachers (Poster 22)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Fourteen
  In Poster Session: Emerging Practices in the Use of Technology as an Agent for Change in Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Elementary schools provide a natural entry point to computer science (CS) education, yet elementary teachers spend most of their instructional time in literacy and math. One way to bring CS in elementary schools is through integrated approaches. In this work we present a professional development (PD) program that helps elementary teachers integrate CS with content and culturally-relevant pedagogy to create accessible CS instruction. Qualitative data were collected from five teachers who attended the year-long program. Findings indicate that all teachers fully integrated CS with content and culturally-relevant pedagogy; however, such integration focused mostly on literacy and closely paralleled what was presented in PD. Implications are drawn regarding the design of PD programs that help teachers integrate CS in elementary classrooms.

Authors

• Amanda Nolte, University of Delaware
  Presenting Author

• Hilary Mead, University of Delaware
  Non-Presenting Author

• Chrystalla Mouza, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  Presenting Author

• Rosalie Rolon-Dow, University of Delaware
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lori Pollock, University of Delaware
  Non-Presenting Author