ERIC Number: EJ1415643
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 30
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1059-7069
EISSN: EISSN-1943-5924
Creating Sustainable Computational Thinking Infusion: An Analysis of Teacher-Led Practitioner Inquiry Projects
Robin Jocius; Jennifer Albert; Deepti Joshi; Melanie Blanton; Ian O'Byrne
Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, v31 n4 p493-522 2023
There is growing attention to the potential for developing professional learning experiences for content area teachers to infuse computational thinking (CT), which refers to the set of problem-solving practices related to the computer science discipline, into their classrooms. Although research has begun to document professional learning models and supports for CT infusion, an understudied area for both research and practice is how in-service teachers come to lead CT infusion efforts through determining curriculum, supporting their colleagues, and designing school and district-wide programs, once the professional development (PD) and related learning experiences are over. In this paper, we document findings from the final year of a five-year PD project, in which a subset of middle and high school content area teachers and teacher teams (n=12) proposed, designed, and carried out their own CT infusion projects. Using a practitioner inquiry framework, we analyze teachers' choices in project types (curriculum development, teacher PD, and activities designed to connect in-school and informal learning), motivating factors for applying for the grant, their inquiry processes, and their perceptions of project impact. We discuss suggestions for supporting teacher-led CT infusion, including taking incremental approaches that develop teacher knowledge over time, building both discipline-specific and interdisciplinary teacher communities, and engaging multiple stakeholders to build the culture necessary for CT infusion. We conclude with general implications for creating structures to sustain and extend researcher-practitioner partnerships.
Descriptors: Decision Making, Teaching Experience, Research Projects, Teacher Researchers, Teacher Attitudes, Inquiry, Computation, Thinking Skills, Sustainability, Problem Solving, Curriculum Implementation, Faculty Development, Middle School Teachers, High School Teachers, Teamwork, Teaching Methods, Computer Science, Communities of Practice, Teacher Collaboration
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. P.O. Box 719, Waynesville, NC 28786. Tel: 828-246-9558; Fax: 828-246-9557; e-mail: info@aace.org; Web site: http://www.aace.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1742351; 1742332