Champion, Collaborator, Curator, Anchor: Supporting K-12 Teachers to Integrate Computational Thinking
Computational thinking (CT) provides opportunities for students to build the skills they need for everyday life, future academic success, and careers. Increasingly, districts are integrating CT into K-12 disciplinary subjects and a growing number of teachers need the knowledge to lead CT learning opportunities. CT is still nascent in teacher education, however, and not all teachers are receiving professional learning on the job. Teachers need effective methods of support to ensure they are providing students with high quality CT learning opportunities. In this poster, we present methods of support for the integration of CT into schools. The poster presents case studies highlighting four methods to support teacher professional learning across four districts: allowing ample time for collaboration with peers, championing CT integration through a school-based advocate, posting and promoting curated resources, and anchoring the work through a foundational person as the initiative expands. In doing so, this poster provides interrelated examples of teacher support and highlights methods of continuous support for teachers who are integrating CT across content areas.