ERIC Number: EJ1409999
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 36
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-1946-6226
Available Date: N/A
Teacher Education to Integrate Computational Thinking into Elementary Science: A Design-Based Research Study
Heather Killen; Merijke Coenraad; Virginia Byrne; Lautaro Cabrera; Kelly Mills; Diane Jass Ketelhut; Jandelyn D. Plane
ACM Transactions on Computing Education, v23 n4 Article 41 2023
Computational thinking (CT) is playing an increasingly relevant role within disciplinary teaching in elementary school, particularly in science. However, many teachers are unfamiliar with CT, either because their education occurred before the popularization of CT or because CT instruction was not included in their pre-service coursework. For these teachers, CT professional development (PD) becomes a primary mechanism to close their CT knowledge gap. While CT PD has demonstrated success at increasing teacher's CT understanding, researchers have reported varied outcomes in supporting teachers to write CT-integrated lesson plans. To explore how we might support teachers to integrate CT into elementary science, we employed design-based research (DBR) in a dual-track design of in-class CT instruction for pre-service undergraduates within an elementary science methods class paired with a collaborative, multi-month PD opportunity for pre- and in-service teachers. In this article, we reflect on our 5-year period of DBR and present our design insights and implications for CT instruction and curriculum design from each iteration. Our findings on best practices will inform both teacher educators and PD providers within CT education. Our work will also be of interest to researchers considering DBR for technology-based educational projects.
Descriptors: Computation, Thinking Skills, Science Instruction, Faculty Development, Lesson Plans, Elementary Education, Science Education, Preservice Teachers, Undergraduate Students, Teaching Methods, Inservice Teacher Education, Preservice Teacher Education, Teacher Education Programs
Association for Computing Machinery. 2 Penn Plaza Suite 701, New York, NY 10121. Tel: 800-342-6626; Tel: 212-626-0500; Fax: 212-944-1318; e-mail: acmhelp@acm.org; Web site: http://toce.acm.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1639891
Author Affiliations: N/A